Podcast Facebook groups/pages?

billybob476 · May 01, 2012, 06:30:46 AM

Wanted to get opinions from forum podcasters (and podcast community members). Do you guys think it's worthwhile to create a Facebook group for a show? I know the Anomaly and Waffle On groups are pretty active, then there are other shows that do great without them. Take Him Wiht You uses Facebook but doesn't have a group persay (as far as I know). TrekSF has these forums which likely does the same job.

I was thinking of making one for my show, just wondering what people think about the effectiveness of it and if it's worth the time put into it.

Bromptonboy · May 01, 2012, 06:55:44 AM

I think it is a good idea, and you might reach more people that way.

Jobydrone · May 01, 2012, 07:07:04 AM

If you don't plan on creating a dedicated community like TrekSF then certainly a Facebook page would be worthwhile. Couldn't hurt.

Rico · May 01, 2012, 08:29:49 AM

I keep thinking about it doing it too. I just have a thing against having to "double post" so much stuff everywhere. But with the tools Wordpress has now it's pretty easy to do.

Feathers · May 01, 2012, 08:31:15 AM

I'm a member of the Waffle On and Anomaly pages/groups/whatever but I'm not a fan of them as an outlet in general.

I guess it's more that my use of Facebook (which is all about keeping in contact with individuals) doesn't gel with community type content rather than anything else.

Kevin Bachelder · May 01, 2012, 08:54:12 AM

With tens of millions of people already on Facebook setting up a group is a great way to get people involved in your community. Most people are very short on free time so while a small percentage of your listeners will take the time to visit, register and regularly visit an online forum a much higher percentage will visit a Facebook group since Facebook is already a part of their social routine.

I visit less and less online forums including my own because it's so much easier to use Facebook groups. We're finding that we reach more people on Facebook than on forums.

No disrespect to this forum or any of you. However, IMHO there tends to be only a small hardcore following that sticks to using forums nowadays.

Kevin

billybob476 · May 01, 2012, 08:59:04 AM

That was my thought. I'm not incredibly active on FB groups right now (though I am a member of quite a few) so I wanted to get the lay of the land from those who are.

Rico · May 01, 2012, 09:00:43 AM

I pretty much agree Kevin, but I just like resisting this trend. I really don't think you can quite get the community a forum gives you on Facebook - at least not yet. I also worry that by setting things up on Facebook it will mean even less people visit your main site, forum etc. I'm probably fighting the inevitable, but I'm old-fashioned like that. I still visit several forums each day but I'm probably more of an exception these days.

Kevin Bachelder · May 01, 2012, 09:13:51 AM

Quote from: billybob476 on May 01, 2012, 08:59:04 AM
That was my thought. I'm not incredibly active on FB groups right now (though I am a member of quite a few) so I wanted to get the lay of the land from those who are.

I actually held out joining Facebook for quite a while. My primary reason for joining was because a couple of podcasts that I listen to had very active Facebook groups but no online forums.

Kevin

Kevin Bachelder · May 01, 2012, 09:20:17 AM

Quote from: Rico on May 01, 2012, 09:00:43 AM
I pretty much agree Kevin, but I just like resisting this trend. I really don't think you can quite get the community a forum gives you on Facebook - at least not yet. I also worry that by setting things up on Facebook it will mean even less people visit your main site, forum etc. I'm probably fighting the inevitable, but I'm old-fashioned like that. I still visit several forums each day but I'm probably more of an exception these days.

I completely understand where you're coming from Rico.

I've been an online forums guy for a long, long time. I love them but as my free time has dwindled I find that the Facebook groups allow me to stay active and involved in far more communities than I ever could via separate forums.

I agree that the very active members of this or any forum will usually stay active and create a great community. However, if you want to expand your community I think you might want to try out having a Facebook group at some point. Yes, it will likely cause a few active forum members to go away but the upside of getting involved with a larger part of your listening audience might make it worthwhile.

One guys opinion anyway. :)

I created a "Fans Of Syfy Original Movies" Facebook group for the listeners of my Saturday B Movie Reel podcast and I've had a few group members mention that they wanted to join our online forums but just never got around to it. However, they are very active on Facebook so they jumped into the group when I launched it. Another unexpected benefit of the Facebook group has been that some of the directors, writers, etc. of the Syfy Original Movies that I've interviewed have joined and become active members since they were already on Facebook. It's added a new dynamic and credibility to the group to have some industry folks posting from time to time.

Take care,

Kevin

Dangelus · May 01, 2012, 09:22:37 AM

I have Facebook pages for Out Of Range and TeknoCratik, they don't get used a lot, I get a few comments and I post show updates etc.

It's good if you're not setting up your own website for this as people can comment on your topics.

Kevin Bachelder · May 01, 2012, 09:42:36 AM

Quote from: Dangelus on May 01, 2012, 09:22:37 AM
I have Facebook pages for Out Of Range and TeknoCratik, they don't get used a lot, I get a few comments and I post show updates etc.

Facebook fan pages are nice but in my experience they don't get near the activity that a Facebook group will get. The groups allow for threaded discussion and it's easy to see the newer posts/threads which a fan page doesn't really do.

Kevin

Dangelus · May 01, 2012, 09:47:55 AM

Quote from: Kevin Bachelder on May 01, 2012, 09:42:36 AM
Quote from: Dangelus on May 01, 2012, 09:22:37 AM
I have Facebook pages for Out Of Range and TeknoCratik, they don't get used a lot, I get a few comments and I post show updates etc.

Facebook fan pages are nice but in my experience they don't get near the activity that a Facebook group will get. The groups allow for threaded discussion and it's easy to see the newer posts/threads which a fan page doesn't really do.

Kevin

Yeah I think one is actually a group, I get those mixed up! Lol

KingIsaacLinksr · May 01, 2012, 11:15:26 AM

I once setup a FB page as a test of traffic, I can tell you they easily don't get the amount of traffic I see out of FB groups. I think that's mostly due to the amount of notifications that come from FB groups. I certainly get pinged by a lot of posts by Anomalies and Waffles. ;).

Oh and not referring to that one that is still up by me. That's another project of its own heh.

However, using FB as a "website" does cause issues with people that want nothing to do with FB. So idk, its all about choices and what you consider easiest. You won't satisfy everyone :).

King

Meds · May 01, 2012, 02:57:54 PM

From my point of view I have a great response on my group page. We have members on there who post without any prompting and it has a life of its own. Its a great way to advertise your podcast, it adds on search engine finds as well. Yes you are not going to have the same activity as a forum but after time you build your won community, you do have to post a bit at the start but its free, its a open social network and its a great way to get more listeners.