Why I Deleted my Facebook Fan Page

To play a bit of devil's advocate...

The term 'fan page' itself resonates as something self-serving. A place where your raving fans can find you; those that gravitate to you, excited at the thought of just being connected with you in some form. But that's just one form that a Facebook Fan Page *could* be used as. Just as Twitter allows us to choose between conversing and broadcasting, does Facebook allow us to choose how we utilize our profiles or fan pages. They can be as much, or little, about the community as you want it to be. It's up to your level of interaction and how you use the fan page to really see it for what it's worth.

Just thinking of this from a larger scale, Chris. For you, I don't doubt that you deleted it because it wasn't being utilized to serve your community and the people who want to connect with you. For that, I applaud you for this move - but Fan Pages still have the ability to help people/companies connect with their community ('fans') and create an environment that's both engaging and interactive.

For your shortest blog post ever, you probably pulled out one of my longer comments here ;)

I get the sentiment, and I appreciate the intention, but it just doesn't seem to change anything. As someone else said earlier in the comments, like it or not, it IS about you. You have branded yourself using YOUR name, YOU speak all over the world, and you make a living sharing YOUR thoughts and ideas.

Because of who YOU are, you've also gathered together a significant community of people who feel connected to one another because of YOU. I don't see anything wrong with that, and I think it's kind of silly to pretend that's not the reality. I get the sense that you're very worried that people will see you as self-centered, but from my perspective, an act like this sort of over-compensates and ends up having the opposite effect. I don't think you come across as self-centered, so just be yourself and drop the drama.

Nice provocative post. "Because it's not about me" would make a hell of a good tagline for social media as a whole. But I'm not convinced that FB fan pages can't be about community, so I'd be interested to know the real reasons why - especially since the tools will grow and be there eventually.

Chris - be honest - certainly you're not going to pass up the opportunity to register www.facebook.com/chrisbrogan on Saturday morning, are you? Doubtful.

I remember when I passed up the chance to participate in a real early gMail beta for Google in 2002-2003. "I don't need another email account," I thought. What I didn't realize is my potential username of ChrisDonaldson would be associated with ALL things Google - not just gmail. So now, someone else has that cool handle. Regrets.

Can't wait to get more insight on your decision.

Not for a fan page. For my profile, yes.

oops :)

I'm really, really amazed by how many people are absolutely literal. And dense.

Chris' point, for those of you ready to pounce all over him because you misread his statement, is that he feels the fan page is about him. He wants it - this, the discussion, the community, and the content - to be about you. So he removed it.

And if you think Facebook is somewhere Chris needs to be to build his community there instead of, say, here at his home base, why not tell him what you find valuable on and about that site instead and why? Isn't this stuff what we make of it? Instead of just telling Chris he's doing it wrong, why not offer something insightful instead? Sheesh.

Looking back it seems as if most of the people that disagreed with Chris's action did support their arguments as well.

The general consensus seems to be that Facebook can be engaging and interactive. It's all what you make of it.

Maybe the real question is why is it okay to use Twitter to build his community and not Facebook? I understand that multiple hubs of communication can become hard to manage, however there are ways to help manage and centralize ones identity across multiple networks without limiting yourself to one.

So now it's on you ... why shouldn't he be on Twitter?

It is what you make of it, which I stated, but that's of general thought on how you *could* use it. From what I know, Chris didn't see the value of having a fan page for himself and that it didn't serve his community. For that, he deleted it.

But what's the correlation to Twitter and serving his community there? He felt the Fan Page wasn't best suited for his community so he took it down, Twitter obviously is a great platform for him and others to connect w/other, as more importantly is his blog. Not sure how it's related if its how he felt of Fan Pages - regardless of our ideas on how it could be used.

Well that's what I am looking for. If Chris was using it and no one was communicating or it was full of spam, I could see taking it down because his community is not benefiting from it.

But he didn't say any of that. All he said was "Because it’s not about me."

The truth is Facebook can be a great place to build a community.

Gary Vaynerchuk, Robert Scoble, Peter Shankman and Savvy Auntie all have active communities on Facebook, Chris can surely have an active community there too.

I'm saying, quite simply, that it's up to him. I'm not saying any one is right or wrong. And I'm saying that MY opinion isn't the one that counts.

Okay. Well everyone else here is trying to understand the thought process behind his decision. It's obviously his decision and none of our comments matter when it comes down to it.

But I thought he did care about what we had to say .... isn't that the point?

Yes, of course that's the point. But it's not about the legitimacy of Facebook in general. It's about whether it's working for Chris and the way he wants to nurture, grow, and contribute to his community.

Whether or not FB "can" be great isn't the point. It didn't make Chris comfortable, so he took it down. Whether or not it works for someone else is irrelevant.

And what I'm asking is for people to say, Chris, I find your FB presence valuable because X and I'll miss it because Y, not "other people do it so you're doing it wrong if you deleted it". There are some great comments here that articulate the former very well.

Chris never said he didn't feel comfortable, he said "Because it’s not about me." .... now all we can do it try and figure out what that means, and that's what everyone here has been trying to do.

And I still think people have been doing a good job articulating why he should be on Facebook.

We can debate the meaning of this post and what constitutes as a good comment or a bad one forever and will get nowhere until Chris himself explains his actions in more detail. I think that's what people are looking for here.

Isn't it more fun to see what you come up with instead?

What's kind of funny is that very few people asked why. They just posited opinions.

Well you can never expect any one type of response to anything in social media, we're all going to interact and respond based on how we perceive the situation.

That said, I think your commenters do a fairly good job of covering all the bases in that respect.

What a great psychology/social media experiment!

If you're looking for more details on his thoughts, some of his tweets at about the time of this post will clue you in. Start here: http://twitter.com/chrisbrogan/status/2104885018

What sticks out to me is you saying "...why he should be on Facebook."

Why *should* he? Because he's one of social media's 'big boys'? Or because Facebook *can* be used to build community? Regardless of the answer, it didn't fit what he wanted out of it - that should be reason enough, IMO.

I respectfully and totally disagree, Chris. Even though it IS all about the folks that we can help in our individual businesses, we have to be found, and part of that {I learned this from you, Chris} is that we have to foster communities.

In my "The Franchise King" Facebook page, for instance, wouldn't it be terrific if a franchise owner that I helped get into a franchise business, received some much needed help and advice from another "fan" of mine. I mean, I cannot be always help, when asked...

I feel that the folks that I INVITED, know me, like me, and hope to receive some type of benefit from being amongst other like-minded, and chosen people.

For me, it is not about ego. It;s about putting myself out there.

The Franchise King
Joel Libava

So you just explained why YOU do it. Awesome.

: )

Thank you, Chris.

I hope we'll finally get to meet in person, someday. I am planning on going to BlogWorld 09.

Are you going this year?

Anyone else that commented; Are you going to attend?

The Franchise King
Joel Libava

Best blog ever.

Nice NIN pic, but I was hoping you would expand a bit more as to why you deleted it. I thought Facebook could be whatever you want it to be.

However, for me I choose to keep it very personal. That is why I would have deleted the fan page.

So what do you mean when you say that it is not about you?

Jon, I'd say Chris explained it fully. Chris is about community. Fan pages are about celebrating the person. The two don't jive, so he took it down.

I don't agree.

Like I said, a Facebook page can be whatever you want it to be. If you set it up to celebrate yourself then that is what it's going to be.

Community implies social interaction with other people about a certain topic or idea. How do discussions and wall posts not accomplish this.

Look at how Starbucks is using it: http://www.facebook.com/Starbucks?v=wall&viewas...

Looks like a community to me.

I have chosen to remove my facebook fan page because I have a facebook friends account, and that's enough, and because I have twitter, and a blog, and plenty of platforms.

Being on every tool doesn't make me easier to reach. It makes me spread thinner and less able to interact.

I agree being on every Tool doesn't make you easier to reach, but Facebook is far more mainstream than Twitter and allows for greater communication and discussions.

From my point of view, none of my friends or family are on Twitter and none of them follow blogs regularly. However they are all on Facebook and are checking each others activity constantly. It would be easier for me to point them to a Facebook fan page of yours than Twitter or your Blog because they understand Facebook.

I don't disagree that FB has more users. More isn't always better, though. Agree?

And again, this is just about my perspective about my fan page. I haven't passed judgment on anyone else's points.

YMMV

You are correct.

But I still can't direct my friends and family to your fan page. That is all. I will still read your blog and follow your tweets.

Barking Dog rules.

You're missing a key element here, Chris; and it has nothing to do with me. You can't compare your Facebook profile to your blog, Twitter, and other platforms. The only analogy that works is your LinkedIn account; each require mutuality.

I can read your blog and I can comment on your blog, and you don't need to give me permission.

I can read your tweets and I can reply or retweet your tweets, and you don't need to give me permission.

A Facebook fan page is the same as a Twitter account; you don't need to approve me to be your fan. So, by deleting your Facebook fan page with the rationale you have "plenty of platforms" is essentially the same as deleting your Twitter account.

You can't have it both ways, Chris. Logic prevents it.

I guess you're right.

Chris, you consistently amaze me. You are so crystal clear on what it means to lead in Social Media. This is pure genius. Dean

Well who's fault is that?

Chris - thanks for always providing us with exactly what we need to know ... and nothing more :)

My company has a Facebook fan page and I use it to give shout-outs to clients who achieve something big. You have to use the fan pages correctly or not at all, in my opinion.

Wait a second! You have to use Fan Pages "correctly' -- are you the self appointed Chief of correct fan pages. I think it's pretty safe to say that the Fan Page on Facebook thing is a pretty straightforward process that a lot of people are using quite well and for great reasons. IMO, like anyone else, you can choose to use whatever SM tool you want, but broadcasting why you didn't is in fact about...well, you. Let's remember, SM is still relatively new for a lot of companies, and Fan Pages can be an effective early step to help build/engage community. It's another way for someone to find out information on -- or connect with -- a company or person or product, or whatever, without going to a corporate web site, and a great way to see who else engages with the brand in a positive way. At some point you created a Fan Page for yourself, otherwise you wouldn't have had something to delete. Not sure of the shift, but obviously you had a need for it at some point. Why would it be *correct* then, or *correct* to put up a fan page for your company to give shout out to clients, isn't that an inadvertent pat on your own back?? Sorry, but I think this was a disappointing post.

Yes, but you can still allow yourself to serve as a focal point for a community of people with related interests. That's the best use for a Facebook fan page, IMO.

To the point.

Nice.

It's about the search engines?

I like all the posts.

Best 5-word blog post ever.

Exactly what I was planning to write! :)

You're the best, Chris!!

Humility is greatly under-rated by many - but you GET it.

Haha, this is fantastic. thank you.

However...creating a Fan Page allows people who are, well, your fans, to comment on your ideas and communicate with each other, so don't you think it's worthwhile? A 'tribe', so to speak?

That's a great pic! I missed NIN on the recent tour. =/

I was also hoping you'd expand a bit more on why you deleted your Facebook fan page...

Grand new perspective! I will think about this some more.

Iyabo Asani

Loved it! BUT think a fan page can be a great hub for *your* community - a place to share/connect - focused not on you, but on those who are in (or want to be in) your orbit.

A better action and subsequent title would have been "How I created value and community on my Facebook fan page."

Because I've seen people and companies that are able to do that.

Chris, you're a social media celebrity. Like it or not, it is about you.

I see this as an illustration of the shift happening in the world as the Information age stakes it's claim over from the Industrial age.

This social media stuff is about how we connect, how we communicate and how we collaborate. It is the tools we use to do this and the open, collaborative ethos behind social media, more than the individual networks or the personalities.

As usual Chris you are leading.

I agree. I find those things narcissistic, and silly...FB is for connecting with "Friends" and contacts...not for being idolized...those folks can hang out at Myspace :)

I suppose you've just answered the ultimate question of "fan" style sites and pages - do you want the users to interact with you and your content, or each other about your content?

I get it. It makes sense. Good for you.

Right on Chris. THis is awesome. Best post I have read this year.

you know, I agree. I use my maiden name there on a "profile", because I love Facebook for connecting with friends and family. But the fan page thing... well said.

Best one line blog post I ever read :)

I can understand deleting the the fan page because it's not about you. Do you still plan to keep your persona Facebook profile? Standard profiles have a friend limit of 5,000 people. Fan pages didn't have a limit. In removing the fan page, aren't you in essence limiting people from connecting with you on Facebook?

The more I thought about this after you asked about fan pages, I think you made the right decision. Fan pages for companies and organizations - okay. For individuals - Well I think you said it best.

For the folks that want that to be a "hub," I would say this blog is Chris' hub. How many hubs does one need?

I agree, everything you hand us each day is a gift, a nugget, except maybe this point. Social Media is about reaching out to those places where your fans or potential fans live on the web rather than expecting them to come to you (kind of like Government Portals). Isn't it all about making it easy for them to connect with you.

Unless I'm missing the boat, it is about you. No matter how you slice it, those people are there for you, or because of you....like minded people meeting in the place of their choice to 'talk' about those golden nuggets you pass to us each and every day, a way to connect on their terms about you.

Hah. Thanks for the answer. I've heard bits and pieces from this debate. Good to hear your stance on it, however short it may be.

True, it’s about me, but without digital tools to connect us how does your (influence) mesh with the digital me? How will our combined presence be absorbed into the digital chi/sprit of another?

your facebook page was an RSS feed of your blog posts? so, are you deleting your blog too, since it's not about you?

by it not being about you, you are making it about you..

you're so hip, dude

This is ridiculous. I read all these comments that praise you for your revolutionary social media tactics when in the end, I wonder if this is just another way to draw sensationalized attention to yourself.

Facebook is a wonderful medium to reach and connect with followers. It isn't really supposed to be about you, is it? It's about them. It's about helping people and finding ways to interact. Those Facebook fans of yours valued your opinion and now you've shut them out. A Facebook page is a forum that fosters interaction and debate on a personal level, with photos, discussion boards and, arguably, more information than any tweet can provide.

You deleted your Facebook page because it's not about you? What a joke!

You missed the point entirely.

The point was that BECAUSE the page is focused on him instead of on his community, he deleted it. If your comment above is the extent of your knowledge about Chris' intentions, you've not been paying attention.

Amber - I think it's irresponsible of Chris. Look at the poor woman's comments who worked so diligently building her fan page, only to read Chris' post, and now she's utterly confused and feels she has done the "wrong" thing. Others are no doubt feeling this way, who know how many, because not everyone will post a comment... If you go out there, building yourself up and touting all you are doing in the SM space, including blogging & tweeting about your every move as Chris does, then you have a responsibility to be careful with your words as you make these decisions. IMO, it was bad judgement and in poor taste to handle it in the manner he did. He should have said he made a personal decision to take down his Fan Page, because that's what it was. And he should have been more sensitive to those that leverage the tool to help build/community and engagement. Or perhaps, Chris has forgotten what that was like when he was getting started?

Tami, those are well articulated points. My comment above was in response to someone who misinterpreted Chris' intentions. You're free to disagree with his approach, absolutely.

I just wish others would follow your lead and explain WHY they disagree, as opposed to being obtuse, confrontational, and defensive.

I did not misinterpret Chris' intentions. I follow his blog and his tweets. I know what he says about putting focus on customers and community. But this proves to me that Chris, like so many other social media 'experts', misunderstand Facebook. A pity.

If he was smart, he would learn how to use Facebook. All he ever did on his Facebook fan page was link it to these blog posts. He didn't USE it like he should have. No discussions. No forums. No user-involvement of any kind. He didn't use Facebook as a tool to connect with his fans. So he deletes his page and posts some sort of existential rubbish-post about it on his blog? I love Chris, but give me a break.

Sensationalized attention? I hardly think so. Unless some choose to make a mountain out of it. I don't see where he shut out people anywhere.

You can still follow Chris on Twitter and engage with him there or on any of his blog posts. That's where he chooses to connect with people.

Nothing really has changed except a deleted page for the reason he cited.

I'm not going to read your blog anymore....it's just not about me. Or maybe you're just too cool for me.

Excellent and I agree this is the "Best 5-word blog post ever".

Not really big on the fan page idea for personal usage myself... but then again, it's not like I have over 5000 people dying to read what I have to say on Facebook anyway. LOL

Kudos to you for pulling the plug!

Doc

Having just started Silk Road Spirit's Fan Page last week, and worked my tail off for a week to learn the app and to ramp it up to 65 fans it now has, I'm dismayed to discover it may be a wasted effort. Or worse yet, somehow narcissistic. Is it, or isn't it, a place for fans to come and register their comments or complaints, view your merchandise, see your event schedule...? It seems I'm hopelessly behind the social media curve once again!

Er, um, the post was about why *I* deleted *my* post, not "you're a bad person."

Nah... it just seems that by the time I finally get to the party, someone tells me the party's moved. Just trying to keep up, and I consider you one of the leaders in the this field. If you're saying you're over it -- and all these folks are writing that your comments are 'brilliant,' I know I should rethink. Thanks for giving me some new ideas to consider.

It's definitely a personal take, though. The FAN page doesn't make sense for MY business. Yours is probably different. My business is focused on bringing human back to the web, so making people into "fans" isn't my goal.

well played sir... simply stated and effective.

Chris, you're one of the first of many good people I've met and engaged with on Twitter. All this time, you've maintained your stature from pure hard work evident from the posts you share, networking and extensive travel. I've never detected ego from you and clearly, you could have filled up a fan page.
By removing it - in 5 short words - you succeeded in explaining the true meaning of social media-ness. Building communities, reaching out, teaching, learning and sharing.
Leaders / innovators don't play the celebrity game. You done good by me!

Absolutely right. If your 'fans' want a place to talk or gravitate, why not do so here, where they can interact with you personally?

I love how concise and relevant your entry is and, though I didn't see the fan page, it could be taken one of two ways: either the fan page didn't jive with you - your ideas, ideals, and overall essence OR that the point is that what you write about isn't YOU, but community. So, literally and figuratively, you've made your point in one sentence. ROCK ON.

To me, Fan Pages can be pretty much what you want them to be. I think the word "fan" is what bugs people ... myself included. My posts on my Page are there to lead viewers to things that might be helpful or interesting to them, and the feed from my blog which covers diverse topics. It isn't just there to show off my works. They are what you make of them, and I don't subscribe to other Pages because I am a 'raving lunatic fan' but because I am interested in what they are doing and what they have to say.... same as I follow on twitter, stumble or clipmarks - for an exchange of information.

Because it's all about community. You get it. I don't know what else to say, except you amaze me, but I won't say that, LOL, bc you wouldn't like it, you're too humble for that, LOL. Keep being you,

krissy knox :)
follow me on twitter:
http://twitter.com/iamkrissy

Well said.

If you think this anything about getting attention, you obviously don't know Chris.

I'm amazed at how many of the comments have gravitated toward the defense of Facebook and the anger and backlash for a simple personal decision. Facebook, Twitter, whatever social media outlet isn't for everyone. Where does it say that Facebook Fan Pages are bad for everyone? It doesn't.

Chris decided that a fan page about him didn't serve his community. The conversation that preceded the move on Twitter was all about making it about others. He made the decision that his fan page didn't do that for him. It's called living your values.

It didn't serve his community because he didn't use it correctly. That show poor judgement and a lack of knowledge on his part. It also alienates many of his fans.

Wow, you've got me pegged. You should stop following my work now and get a jump on the massive exodus.

The only thing it shows is that Chris Brogan doesn't choose to use a Facebook fan page to interact with people. He would rather use this blog and twitter, email, his personal Facebook page, etc. There's nothing wrong with that.

Also, see his above comment about spreading too thin with too many SM tools.

Chris, I happened to see one of your tweets pre-deletion, and then subsequently saw the deletion announcement itself.

As it turns out, I just joined two Facebook fan pages - one for Inland Valley Daily Bulletin columnist/blogger David Allen, and the other for the Upland (California) public library. Why? Because of common interests. The people who join a Facebook fan page share a common interest - not necessarily a hero worship of you or of David Allen, but of the things that you and Allen choose to talk about.

And if you're going to establish communities somewhere or another, doesn't it make sense to maintain a community on one of the top social media services in terms of numbers?

It's great to have a fan page there. Enjoy it. I just chose not to have one for me. I'm not telling folks to drop their fan pages. The post was about me.

I actually love the post, but I'm laughing about the irony of a comment that says "The post was about me" with regard to a post that simply says "Because it’s not about me" -- I'm probably the only one finding that amusing, but I had to point it out, because there was something that just made me laugh. (No judgment call on that one - I actually get the distinction... unless of course you delete this post - then we end up in an infinite loop!) ;)

I really and honestly laughed out loud when I wrote that reply, but I'm happiest that YOU caught it.

This post certainly inspired debate!

Wow, the comments here are really interesting. My take: There are some people out there who *enjoy* being fans. If not, rock stars would be out of business. We equate fans with that kind of stardom, but one can be a fan in a way that is low key. If I am a fan of a persons work, it is simply that, nothing more..nothing less. It doesn't mean I'm going to go stake out the next conference with my lawn chair and battery-operated radio, prepared to stay overnight to hear their keynote address. It all about the way you interpret having fans. We all want and need fans. Just maybe not to the degree we have placed on the concept. Chris clearly doesn't like the connotation. To each his own. Again, the conversation here is very interesting. Gald I stopped by today.

Chris makes an excellent point!

For some business and organizations, however, it's not a choice to have a fan page. If you need to provide pictures of your product to your "fans", Facebook will usually get around to asking you to create a fan page to do your "advertising." Facebook profiles are meant to be for individuals to communicate to each other, friends and family. The connections are family, schools, organizations one participates in and companies one works for. If you own the business and you're "advertising", it's kind of not what Facebook was supposed to be about.

I think if you want to create community around your product, or if you want to do low-level advertising, a fan page is the way to go. If you want to tell us what you ate this morning or what precious thing your kid said, you should leave it on the profile.

My bottom line for this is... goodness, it's his choice. He (and anyone else) has the right to build community wherever he chooses... and to not engage in forums he doesn't want to... for whatever reason.

I don't use Plurk, rarely update my LinkedIn profile, and have a hard time seeing the value of Namyz. Yeah, I get that Chris has a MUCH bigger following/rep/presence than I do... but that doesn't obligate him to be anywhere. Is it possible he'll miss out on some opportunity to connect because he's NOT on FB? Sure... it's likely there are some folks who ONLY follow him there. That doesn't make the decision "wrong" – it's still HIS decision and not one that should keep folks up at night. Really.

(Chris, sorry for the third-person talk)

I am a fan of Chris Brogan and his work and his sharing. He is one of the reasons I was tossed in the deep end of sharing and social media. I agree with Amber, if you are fan then support his work and share yourself.

Ask yourself how you can contribute. He asks himself that question every single day, that is why we are fans.The conversation is what's important. And let's not lose the fact that has a bright marketing mind and is not only a forward thinker, but a forward doer.

And if you are a fan - then visit http://newmarketinglabs.com and see how you can help Chris and partners Justin and Colin. And check out the Media Hacks podcasts http://www.mediahacks.org. And pick up a copy of Trust Agents (co-written with Julien Smith) when it's released. http://www.trustagent.com

Cheers, Mr. Brogan - keep sharing and stay curious!

km

Facebook fan pages should be about delivering value to your community. But you already do that here everyday, so the fan page was redundant. Good move.

Chris,

I can't believe you deleted your fan page! I specifically remember being on an Amtrak train going from New York to Boston and volunteering to "unfriend" you so you could add more people on your account. I was under the impression that more people wanted to connect with you as friends, but due to Facebook's limit, you couldn't add more. Fan pages are the perfect solution to that.

Your reputation speaks for itself... we know it's not about you. :)

The bottom line is it was an arrogant post. It is his decision, and it was a personal one. But for someone who is squarely planted in the SM space, it was poor judgement. Who really cares if he has a fan page or not...that's not what people are reacting to. It was how he chose to communicate it to an audience that follows him. And for anyone, any company starting out in social media for their own brand or cause, it sends a confusing message. Obviously, he had a Fan Page. It would have been way more respectful and downright classy to explain to his audience the Why behind it. And if he feels that one word sentence is enough, then people should reconsider who they follow, listen to, and why. It's like a wild goose chase. And frankly, don't we all have better things to do with our time?

12 words. 12 words and you made me think. Congrats...don't think that has ever been done in such a small number of words.

THANK YOU!!!! Ego's need to GO!

Incredible.

re: the FB (now fiasco in some people's minds) - not a big deal. Go deep where you can make the most difference in people's businesses and lives.

Now there are FB "experts" that may disagree, and it would be interesting to hear their logical opinions versus all the chaff of blaming and emotional reaction.

Cheers,
gk