You sneaky mom
Facebook has made changes to their platform once again, all in the name of combating fake news.
However, many believe the change has not so much fought for quality content, but rather become another way for Facebook to make money off their users.
One title fits all
The announcement was made last week that users are no longer allowed to edit headlines and customize the link and description.
That is, unless they pay for it.
Many marketers and publishers are understandably upset since this will limit their reach via social media. Prior to the change, publishers would publish the same article with adjusted headlines to target specific groups of people.
This strategy is highly useful to maximize engagement with different types of demographics.
For instance, an article about a new food trend would be marketed differently to older women versus body builders. It was not so much a way to falsify information but instead to appeal to a wider audience.
Pay up
With the limits Facebook has now set, publishers can still target specific groups of people but they cannot edit headlines or meta data. There is one loophole of course: pay Facebook.
If companies agree to pay for this service that was previously free, then they can keep on using this tool. The issue is that not all businesses using Facebook for social media campaigns have the budget to put towards marketing.
For small businesses, it seems that Facebook is making it harder to utilize their platform unless they pay for an ad, boost their posts, or now pay for editing headlines.
Many publishers have also complained that interaction with Facebook is increasingly harder unless you’re willing to spend money. Companies with larger ad budgets have an easier time getting a hold of Facebook customer service than ones who are trying to utilize free services. Well, not free anymore.
Biggest dog in the fight
Facebook has continued to adjust their algorithm to ward off spammers and what they believe to be low quality content. However, it is hard to see this change as one that benefits anyone but them.
More changes are to be expected, as Facebook attempts to renew their reputation and adjust their programming interface.
#PostRansom
