Yesterday Facebook + Journalists staff posted an update on how journalists are using the ‘Subscribe’ button, which was introduced in September 2011. The subscribe feature is useful for journalists as it means they don’t have have accept friend requests, but instead allow people to subscribe to their public updates, which will appear in their newsfeeds. The note posted by Facebook + Journalists staff Vadim Lavrusik and Betsy Cameron announced the results of a sample study of 25 journalists which revealed that “the average journalist has seen a 320% increase in subscribers since November 2011”.
To get an idea of the numbers currently subscribed to high profile journalists, CNN’sDon Lemon has over 144,000 subscribers, Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times has over 331,000, and editor in chief of The New York Observer Elizabeth Spiers has over 76,000. The note also details what kind of posts are the most successful for journalists on Facebook, which may also by useful for business page users to take a look at, as they could also benefit from some of the tips, such as including videos, photos and calls to action in posts.
This announcement detailing the increase in the popularity of the subscribe button is obviously a piece of self promotion for Facebook, but it’s also an indication that people are becoming more accustomed to the idea of viewing Facebook as a news source, and not just a place to catch up and share with friends.
This announcement detailing the increase in the popularity of the subscribe button is obviously a piece of self promotion for Facebook, but it’s also an indication that people are becoming more accustomed to the idea of viewing Facebook as a news source, and not just a place to catch up and share with friends.
It also demonstrates that Facebook is looking to establish itself as such, one facet in a myriad of different functions. Perhaps aiming to taking away from Twiter’s reputation as a place where news is broken, and given the site’s increased multimedia capabilities, no 140 character limits and ample space for video and images, it could become a more attractive option.
The relationship between Facebook and journalists is a mutually beneficial one: established journalists lend a sense of authority to the site and enhance the reputation of the site; they have long been respected in other mediums, so now they bring that same sense of gravitas to the social network. In turn, journalists benefit from the extended reach and engagement that exposure to the millions of Facebook users around the globe gives them.
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