Remember when Facebook seemed a bit like a blog? You wrote something and your Friends read it.
Attaching photos didn't really matter. The length did't really matter. Whatever you had to say, your Friends saw it.
Have you noticed that is no longer the case? Have you written posts that seemed to have been sent to the ignore section?
That is by design. Facebook now wants you to scroll and click.
As we've learned, your Friend connections and the information you post are not the only things they are collecting to sell to marketers.
YOUR BEHAVIOR ON FACEBOOK IS NOW THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU.
Have you used the handy little colored box to write posts? Most of you have. And whether you know it or not, that is teaching you to be brief. Somewhere, your brain is learning that you'll get more LIKES if you are quick and colorful.
Have you also noticed that the choices for the color and design of those boxes keep changing? Noticed that the maximum character length of posts in those boxes keep changing?
Is that because they are testing which colors get the most attention? Is that because they are testing the maximum number of characters the average user will read? You betcha.
Do you always add a photo to your posts?
Your brain is learning what gets you the most attention. What gets you the most attention is doing the thing Facebook shows to the greatest number of your friends.
HELLO?
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Many of us have learned how to game the algorithm, and then change the game every time the algorithm changes. I do it all the time.
I did it to get you here. I have no hard data on how this works but I am 100% certain it does.
For a while, videos got the highest rankings. That just changed, FYI. It changed, partly because you spend more time watching videos. Facebook doesn't want you to spend time. They want you to click.
CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKSCORLLSCROLLSCROLLSCROLL
Now you're doing what they want you to do.
Facebook will tell you they are blameless and trying to give users what they have shown they want.
Chicken or egg. You decide.
Just remember that your Facebook behavior data is extremely valuable. Right now it's probably the most valuable thing about you.
Be stingy with your behavior. Do the things they don't want you to do so they will give us more of those things. You can survive the silence from a long post.
Trust me, I do it all the time.
