As a social media manager, I’m constantly trying to help people efficiently work with the various social media and networking tools. But keeping up with the changes on Facebook has become a full-time job.

I should love Facebook for this I suppose, because it puts my services in high demand. It’s my job to know what the changes are and how to work with them. I should not only be able to demonstrate the new features, but also help people make adjustments in their processes when features they’re used to using have disappeared (see examples, below).

I hate Facebook for this too, though, because I like to demonstrate how to use social media tools on video.  But with the pace of change on Facebook, the videos become obsolete almost before I finish recording them. I now post a disclaimer in the video descriptions reminding people that Facebook is constantly undergoing changes. (You can leave requests for current, customized video demos on the 3D Communications Facebook Page.)

I’m not criticizing. After all, we’re all still figuring out the best ways to use social media tools, and Facebook has every right to make changes in their quest for perfection. Facebook isn’t the only popular social networking platform that makes changes. Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube have all rolled out their share of changes. After a bit of time, I adjust to the changes and even truly appreciate most of them. Today, though, I’m just venting my frustration with Facebook.

Stuff that has disappeared from Facebook

1. The “Link” link on the status update on the personal Facebook profile is gone (still available on business Facebook Pages, though). I noticed this when someone asked me how to choose the thumbnail that appears when you post a link on your status update. Here’s a graphic of what I discovered.
2. I used to be able to work on my business Facebook page and choose “Use Facebook as Debi” and then post a comment as me rather than as my business. However, today I discovered that I can no longer do that. I can still click “Use Facebook as Debi,” but when I click in the comment box, my business logo shows up. Maybe it’s a glitch; maybe not. Who knows? Further, I can’t post a personal comment on any of the pages on which I’ve been assigned as an administrator. I don’t “like!”
3. I used to be able to post a status update from my personal Facebook and tag a business page (i.e., use the @ symbol in front of the Page name causing it to become a hyperlink to that Page). The update would then appear on that Page’s Wall and/or Newsfeed. But, that doesn’t seem to be happening anymore. So much for letting a Page you want to support know you’re sending them a little social love!

I will do my best to help people deal with the changes. Can you help me with any of the three things that are challenging me today?

Photo credit: Ben Heine