Facebook's recent reveal that they were switching business/brand profiles followers from "fans" to those who "like this" has given me renewed reasons to develop Samantha Warren Weddings' presence on the timesuck ...err, social networking site.
While of course I know you don't just like Samantha Warren Weddings, you love it, because Facebook clearly has a thing for more mild, middle-of-the-road public displays of affection, you'll have to settle for supporting SWW by listing our business page (see above) at www.facebook.com/SamanthaWarrenWeddings a like, or thumbs up if that better suits your style.
I must confess. I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. We have a friend (though he's not one on Facebook) who teases that he's so high-tech, he's already onto the next thing: face-to-face book.
As much as I love catching up with my friends (and never missing a birthday- isn't that the best), sometimes all those sickeningly sunny status updates makes me feel like a dark cloud when things in my own life aren't so bright. For the most part, Facebook reads more like a greatest hits than a true behind the music of our lives. After all, who really wants their 800 family, friends and kinda-sorta-remember-you summer camp friends knowing they had a huge fight with their husband last night and slept on the couch using the dog as a pillow. Knowing this, I've been really trying to keep what I read on Facebook in perspective lately, understanding that sometimes what we share about ourselves doesn't tell our whole story. And, I try to keep it very real in my own updating (fed directly by my tweets), which is why you know I have an unreasonable fear of snakes that led my to hyperventilate my way through our cave-tubing tour in Belize, may or may not have sausage arms and dreaded dodgeball for much of the season after a particularly petrifying game against a team of kindergarten teachers. I paint me as I am, neurosis and all!
Just like me, Facebook has its issues, but their choice to change "fan" to "like this" on business/organizational pages is, I think, a good one. It requires less buy-in from users, is a better representation of the relationship and has a cute little icon to boot (who wouldn't want to give something they supported an encouraging thumbs up). I'd love it if you'd click over to the Samantha Warren Weddings page and "like" it, not just to show your support, but to get sneak peeks of my latest shoots, engage in a dialogue with me and other supporters, get updates with news and special offers and find out which of your friends are also fans. I mean likers. (Still need to figure that one out.)
For those who aren't familiar with the set-up of business pages, here is a look at some of my favorite features of mine:
Navigational tabs at the top help you easily find what you're looking for, from info about the business (see below) to photos, discussion boards, notes and of course, the wall where the updates and much of the interaction occurs.
I appreciate the discussion board feature, which is where people can have conversations about photography, weddings or what they love most about Samantha Warren Weddings.
I also have my blog feed directly into the page, and if the entry includes someone who I'm friends with on Facebook, make sure to tag them.
And, seeing I'm a photographer, I plan to heavily use the photo application and I hope you'll check back often for sneak peeks of my latest work. No longer will I upload previews (like this one below of Deirdre & Ryan's Engaged session which I haven't even blogged yet) and wedding coverage to my personal page. Instead, I'll share them here, sparing my Facebook friends who aren't as in love with weddings as I am from hundreds of images each summer of brides and bouquets.
Included in this photo section is an album of testimonials. This one from Mandi and Rob whose Retreat at French's Point wedding I photographed last summer actually gives me chills every time I read it.
I see this page as much yours as mine, so I do encourage you to use it as a resource in your own planning. As you learned from the Bride's Side series I did here last year (and have plans to do again), the Samantha Warren Weddings community is a valuable resource. Perhaps your wedding is next year and you're looking for a florist recommendation, or you're celebrating your first anniversary and thinking about finally ordering that wedding album you never though you'd want. Please use this page as the place to ask for help, to be inspired or simply to give your back a break from tending your flock on Farmville.
SWW WEBSITE | SWW ON FACEBOOK | SWW ON TWITTER | CONNECT WITH SWW
0 comments:
Post a Comment