Popularity of Facebook Groups and Pages for businesses, causes and celebrities is growing at warp-speed. If open to the general public, anyone can join such a group or page.
Facebook Pages differ from Facebook Groups in as far as being an independent "mini interactive website" whereas the Group more resembles a personal profile dedicated to a specific topic. Common to both is its subscriber base: Groups have members joining and Pages have fans.
Social networks like Facebook grow based on group movements. Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff refer to this movement as a "groundswell" in their book with the same title. Social groups will not be dictated to or pressurized. Trends grow out of mass opinion and preference.
Recently I experimented by sending an email out to all 86 members of a Facebook Group I administer, called Growing Your Business Online to encourage greater participation in group comments. Guess what happened? The next day the group members declined to 84!
This raised the question: Do group members object to being subjected to unsolicited mail? Membership is voluntary and passive and as soon as there is any direct targeting, is it a breach of what they initially signed up for: passive participation?
What is your experience? How do you feel when a Facebook Group emails you directly? Is it OK or not OK?
Recently I experimented by sending an email out to all 86 members of a Facebook Group I administer, called Growing Your Business Online to encourage greater participation in group comments. Guess what happened? The next day the group members declined to 84!
This raised the question: Do group members object to being subjected to unsolicited mail? Membership is voluntary and passive and as soon as there is any direct targeting, is it a breach of what they initially signed up for: passive participation?
What is your experience? How do you feel when a Facebook Group emails you directly? Is it OK or not OK?
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