September 16, 2011
Facebook Contests – A Bad Idea
Lots of people use Facebook and you might be tempted to create one of those “Like Us” contests for your customers. Well, don’t. For as many people who use Facebook, there are hundreds who don’t. Like me. And most people I know. We are still suspicious of their motives. We feel that Facebook, and sites like them, are basically “data miners”, or web sites created to suck as much personal information out of you as possible and use it for Lord Know What. Or, some of us just don’t see the need or have the desire to be that forthright with our private lives.
Whatever the reason, by creating a contest on Facebook, you are precluding a large percentage of your customer base from participating, and I can tell you that we feel it is simple discrimination. Just because we don’t use Facebook, why should we be precluded from entering your contest? It creates negative feelings, and leaves a bad taste in our collective mouths. So think twice, or even thrice, before creating a Facebook contest. It may be working against you in ways you never even see.
And, think twice before creating a Facebook page. You are giving your personal information away to strangers who use it however they want to. Would you give your life details to a stranger if he walked up and asked for it? No. But that is exactly what you are doing on Facebook. Not cool.
