Facebook has changed. When I joined in 2008, my friends posted pictures of themselves and their families. I enjoyed seeing their faces and knowing what was going on in their lives. But I think you’ll agree that the landscape of Facebook has altered significantly. When I go to the homepage, it’s obvious that it has become a site for free advertising. Now I hurriedly scroll past political stances, entertainment gigs, announcements, event reminders, quotes of the day, etc. I feel frustrated, and I need your help to resolve what has become a conflict for me.

     When Facebook originated, its goal was to foster connections among family and friends all over the world. I applaud this feature and value it. I am frustrated that it has become a marketing tool for any individual or organization seeking visibility. That’s not wrong, but people are clogging their pages by pushing their own products, businesses, and blogs, including me. I am part of the problem as I also contribute to the clutter, taking advantage of free advertising for my blog.

     I question my motive. On the one hand, I want people to read my blog to see God’s signature on my life. I want to show you how God is always faithful to me and never fails me. I want you to connect more deeply with Him because of what you read in my blog. God unconditionally loves us, and I don’t want readers to miss this message. On the other hand, I have an impure motive to post my blog to Facebook in order to gain visibility and new subscribers. In short, while trying to promote God, I am promoting myself. As a Christian, that doesn’t feel right. Our culture says, “That’s okay. Use the tools God has made available to share your story. Besides, social networking is here to stay.” But is God pleased when part of my motive is to promote myself? What if I choose not to plug my blog through Facebook anymore and trust God to grow my readership outside of Facebook?

     Statistics from my blog site reinforce the direction I want to move. Out of 340 friends, I see 10% of them on the homepage on any given day. When I post my blog on Facebook, I’m guessing approximately three hundred friends never see it on their homepage. In addition, my blog site shows Facebook as a “referrer,” so I know how many people access my blog from Facebook. The most I’ve seen is about 2% of all of my “friends.” Moreover, the 2% of people who read my blog post through Facebook are already subscribers.

     So where do I go from here? The answer would be easy if Mark Zuckerberg decided to start charging anyone who uses his page to promote a business or product. I would bow out. There is so much promotion to wade through that I am starting to lose interest. It is like reading a local newspaper filled with press releases and advertising, making it hard to find the news. If I’m working hard to get past advertisements and promotions, then I bet you are too, which means the chance of your taking the time to read what I have to offer is pretty slim.

     Your opinion matters. I am leaning strongly toward pulling my blog from Facebook. I’m sick of the clutter and tired of contributing to it. More importantly, I don’t want to elevate myself through Facebook. I trust God to promote my blog as long as I honor Him in my writing. Do you think it’s a mistake to quit promoting my blog through FB?

Blessings,
Lee Ann

The post 2.24.13 To Publish or Not to Publish on Facebook appeared first on LAPenick's Blog.