Why I Deleted my Facebook Fan Page

Chris – If it was called a “Facebook Page” instead of a “Facebook Fan Page”, would you still delete it?

Just trying to assess how big an impact the presentation of a feature can have on end users.

Anyone notice the tag for this post 'cultofpersonality' – nice. Chris, as I scroll through the fuel of this post (comments) and learn why you chose this, I understand. There is a tension between personal branding and the perception of being self-adorationist (is that a word? :-). From this end of the post, there seems to be two issues here. Branding, and personality. You are branded very well…with, well, you. Great for many reasons, yet has it's share of downfalls. One being, your personality (if I'm reading you correctly) is uncomfortable with it becoming too much about you. I share such sentiments.

The great thing about social media is what you have demonstrated in this act. There are no rules. We are all figuring this thing out as we go. And true, it is good to be found everywhere possible online for branding purposes, but as you state, it doesn't necessarily make us better participants (spread so thin).

Amen. For some, a Facebook Fan Page makes sense. I understood it when Internet marketing “guru” John Reese did it–he’d reached the (at that time) friend limit and had many people expressing interest in connecting with him there. Note though that the friend limit has now been reached.

It certainly also makes sense when big name celebrities or companies do it. (Or rather, when the marketing teams BEHIND the big name celebrities’ and companies’ brands do it.) Mainly because, it doesn’t make sense for a company to have a personal profile (I don’t think)…And celebrities are protecting their privacy by not allowing friends to connect with them on their personal profiles; yet they still want a way for fans to connect.

As for others, let’s get over the narcissism, shall we? You’ve got a personal Facebook profile (don’t want to mix business with pleasure? then how about you take your business elsewhere and stop spamming me on Facebook), and you’ve probably got a Twitter account, a FriendFeed profile, a MySpace page (or 2 or 3 or 4 from back in the day), a LinkedIn page, and a YouTube Channel. OH, and a blog. …Isn’t that enough?

And for all the Fan Pages I’ve been invited to on Facebook lately, I really have to ask: Who ARE you??? And why do all your “fans” share your same last name and/or many of your same physical features? ;-) (Hi mom!)

Hey Chris. I like the idea of deleting a fan page because it takes the focus off of you and places it on the information and insight you provide to so many of us. I’m sure you know this, but you HAVE fans. There are people that read your newsletters and blog all the time. Why put one more thing out there that says “Hey look! I’m popular”. We know that, and you know that. So what? Your popular because of the work you do and the information you give.

To me, there’s a difference in being a star and being a thought leader. Thought leaders promote and encourage progression. When the star fades, nobody cares.

Awesome post Chris.

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.

TECHNICALLY, it is a six word post. It’s is a contraction of “it is”

Damn!! Who let the freaking English grammar geek in the fricking room??? Can’t anyone shut a damn door around here? :-)

Holy cow, who would have thought so many people would care about a silly Facebook fan page. When you first created it I didn’t like the idea of a personal fan page created for oneself, but hey, I figured you were just experimenting – and trying to figure a way around the 5,000 friend limit on a personal page.

What amazes me is that a 5 word post has inspired one of the biggest outpourings of comments. Amazing what happens when you give people the space to make of something what they will. Get out of the way…

Wow- quite a bit of buzz over such a short, but impactful post. I found the fanpage too much to maintain on top of profiles, groups, and all the social networks. That, and I feel silly running my own fan page :)

I guess you're right.

LOL, I’m looking for the post, then I just saw that “Because it’s not about me.” line. anyway, ur right..

Chris,
You dazzle with your clarity and brevity!

Hi Chris. Thanks for making me think. I do always seek to engage others as Jeff Turner always says. But it is also about me, being me, and sharing who I am.

Here’s my blog response: http://bit.ly/19uhhS

You make your choice, and I repsect that. I am just gonna “bee.” :-)

that could be read two ways:

1) the page is not centered around you
2) “it” – the reason for people to communicate and gather, is not for the purpose of being your fan.

I know which you meant. Just interesting that the phrase could be interpreted either way.

what is facebook?
what are you people talking about?

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.

good move

Off course 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.

I really wish I COULD delete our band’s fan page. When creating it, I encountered problems with the page. I cannot even access it to delete it, and have tried for months. It (and also an email from FB) says that the account is deleted, yet it is still there through searching. One band member is no longer with the band, and this is irritating for him. Our friends and followers get confused when searching for us. It is the number one listing on Google – and calls itself the “official page.” Not to mention, some idiot on a blog has tagged the page and my name on a blog page that is frankly lewd, unprofessional, and totally unrelated to me or the band – and refuses to remove it due to his right to free speech. I have already set up a personal page for the band, but cannot get FB to simply remove the page. This is so incredibly exhausting to me. I now know why so many of my musician friends opt for the regular friend page for their followers.