Let's Admit It: Facebook is Complicated

These days, you hear a lot of advice like "Every nonprofit should have a Facebook page! It only takes a few minutes!" It may only take a few minutes for folks who really know Facebook well, and who already have a good sense as to what they want to do with it, but how many nonprofits fit into that category? Let's admit it: Facebook is complicated to understand, and it's not trivial to set up a thoughtful organizational presence.

It doesn't take any particular technical skills, but that doesn't make it easy. In particular, all of the different parts are confusing to understand - it's a Page! A Cause! A Wall! A Discussion! A Group! An Event! Etc, etc. Some of them are free standing, while some of them interrelate. Figuring out what each of these things are, how you want to use them, what's important about each, and then actually setting it up is not an exercise for a few minutes. It's one for hours, minimum, or potentially days.

While we're admitting things, I'll admit this: there's a personal element to this. I have trouble wrapping my head entirely around Facebook. It makes me feel old. I'm doing a bunch of research about what nonprofits are doing and can do with Facebook (for a video Nonprofits' Guide to Facebook in partnership with See3, which I'm excited about), and I'm finding it a really squishy and difficult subject. I know that I'm from the most social network savvy person out there. On the other hand, I'm a professional software researcher with tons of website strategy and implementation experience. I have to believe that I'm not the only one that finds it complicated.... or the only one surprised by how complicated it is.

That isn't to say that it isn't worth developing a Facebook strategy and presence - that depends on your goals. But you shouldn't do it only because you think it will be quick and easy.