3 Tips for Adjusting to New Facebook Pages
If your school currently has a Facebook page, you may have noticed that the features and functionality of it have changed over the last few weeks. We dug a little deeper than Facebook’s “tour” of these changes and discovered just what the changes will mean for your school. Here’s a rundown of the new features and functionality, and how your school can take advantage of them.
Tabs That Aren’t “Tabs” Anymore
Across the top of your page, above the wall, visitors could click through to photos, discussion boards, notes, and other areas of the page, in a “tabbed” format. These great resources haven’t gone away, they’ve simply moved. These areas of your page can now be viewed in the left hand column, underneath your profile picture. All of the same content and functionality is there; it’s just in a different place.
Tip: Post a status update alerting your fans of the change, and direct them to the new navigation. This will help your less Facebook-savvy fans find all of your content!
Your Page’s Photo Stream
Where the tabs once were, you’ll now see a stream of your page’s photos at the top of your Facebook page. These photos are pulled in automatically from your photo albums and photos you’ve been tagged in. In our experience, people love looking at photos, so it can be a great way to engage with your visitors. Just be conscious of what photos are appearing for your school at all times.
Tip: Delete unwanted photos from your stream by hovering over the image and clicking the “x” that appears in the corner. Deleted photos will be blocked from appearing in your stream again.
Using Facebook As Your School
One of the best features that Facebook rolled out is definitely the ability to use Facebook as your page. As a page administrator, in the upper right hand corner, you can click “Use Facebook as (page name)” to access the feature. You’ll now be able to visit other business pages or personal profiles and post as your school! You can also leave comments on photos or status updates as your school. This is a really important tool for building relationships with your online audience and connecting with other businesses that may be able to help your school.
Tip: Use this feature to post on the wall of a local business or community organization that your school works with, like a Chamber of Commerce. Now you can act as the voice of your school all over Facebook, not just on your page.
As with all of the changes that Facebook makes, it will take some time to adjust to the new features and learn how to use them. We’re optimistic, and believe that this latest set of changes is going to help schools expand their online presence even more effectively.
