AdWeek’s March 4 article on the March 11 rollout of sweeping changes to Facebook makes me–and many others–wonder if Facebook is about to start another user revolt. On March 11, Facebook trots out changes that will force companies and advertisers to start behaving much more like regular Facebook users. That means more frequent updates to company pages rather than creating unchanging sites used as a basic ad for the company or service.
What does that mean for bands using Facebook? Unsure at this point, but there seems to be a growing number of bands who are migrating to Twitter because of the ease of use. I think the simpler the medium, the more valuable it is–especially for busy indie bands who don’t have time to maintain a Twitter, MySpace and Facebook site all at once. Twitter is simple, it’s fun, and it’s a growing outlet for bands. Hell, even Turntabling has a Twitter account. I have to admit, it’s easier and more fun than Facebook. I don’t like the idea that I might have to do even more work to maintain a Facebook account for Turntabling or the bands on Turntabling Records.
If you ask me, Twitter is the future. Facebook’s previous flap over its terms of service has left people like me unwilling to put up with much more crap from FB. It’s unsure how the March 11 changes will actually affect users like me and indie bands, labels and promoters. Maybe AdWeek’s article has me whipped into a frenzy of bed-wetting fear over nothing. Then again, sweeping changes mean a learning curve, and who has the time to deal with that nonsense? It was goofy enough trying to figure out how to add GOOP to the ReverbNation Facebook widget.