Detroit stuff on Facebook... maybe

I “liked” your site. Looking forward to following you on Facebook!

I hope that you don’t abandon your website and switch exclusively to Facebook.

I deactivated my Facebook account last year due to a huge increase in spam after I originally opened my Facebook account about a year before. (I actually tried to just delete the account, but I could not find a way to do that. The best I could do was to close the account, which Facebook then followed up with a message that all I had to do to reactivate the account was enter my user name and password. Facebook: once opened, it’s with you forever, whether you want it or not.)

I notice that more and more websites/blogs are requiring that comments can only be submitted through Facebook. These websites may think that this protects them from anonymous cheap shots by commenters, but I think they are kidding themselves. There are just too many Facebook accounts with fake or unknown identities.

I guess I will just have to wait to see your pictures and comments when they make it directly to the About.com/Cars website.

I ditto Steve in GA. I had a Facebook page at one time, but closed my account (just like Steve indicates) when I was asked to be “friends” with a multitude of people I barely knew (my wife loves Facebook, however). Until I retire in a few years, I just don’t have the time or interest to spend a lot of time on developing/maintaining a Facebook page. So I hope that your blog remains your main source of communication, and that I don’t miss anything by not visiting Facebook.

Facebook was peddled initially as a fun social networking tool to chit chat with all kinds of folks. People are realizing that it is morphing into just another marketing tool for big companies. For example a Seattle Honda dealership pays bonuses to all their emplyees to create massive friendship links that the dealer can sell cars surreptitiously. The dealer uses those emplyee Facebook accounts to diseminate sale info via supposed chat. They train dealer marketing guys this stuff at the dealership digital conventions.
What used to be the “Information Highway” is nothing but the “Marketing Highway”.

Don’t worry, folks — the blog will never be replaced as my primary means of communicating. On facebook, though, I can post all the quick (and sometimes snarky) comments that would be seen as clogging up the blog if I posted it here. If you ever have reason to attend an auto show on press days, you’ll know it’s certainly snark-worthy!

And Don’s right — Facebook has become a marketing tool. At About.com, we’ve found that Facebook does help drive more traffic to the site. More traffic = more money for About.com. More money for About.com = a job for me.

I believe you can visit the facebook.com/AboutComCars site without belonging to Facebook. I don’t much care for all the “Like me! Like me!” stuff that surrounds FB… but a pic of journalists digging into a pile of free t-shirts like hungry hyenas digging into a zebra is something I just have to share with you, and my blog really isn’t most appropriate place. I have to keep up some pretense of professionalism!

Thanks for your concern, guys. Really.

Aaron