One of the things that make the social media world go round is tagging. In Facebook, you can already tag people in embarrassing photographs, as any Human Resources department can tell you as they screen interview candidates. You can also tag them in notes that they’re mentioned in.
Now you can also tag people – and pages and groups – in your status update – another move that seems designed to compete with Twitter. I have seen almost no-one using this yet, but it is something worth considering, as it can help promote what you’re doing to a wider audience.
You may know that, in Twitter, people often mention other people on Twitter using their username, such as @jonreed. The us of the @ symbol turns this into a link that clicks through to the user’s page. These may be replies to people, or simply mentions of them. The person mentioned can see all their replies and mentions by clicking on, in my case, a link that says @jonreed.
The same principle now applies in Facebook. For example, I recently went to a Society of Authors event with my friend Isabel. One of the speakers was my old Macmillan boss Richard Charkin. Both are Facebook friends. I was able to mention Richard – and turn that mention into a link to his page – by using the @ symbol, just like in Twitter. How does it work? As soon as I type ‘@rich’, a list of all my Facebook friends starting with Rich showed up, and I could click on his name:
The same principle applies to Facebook groups or pages – such as The Society of Authors and Publishing Talk in this case.
Like Twitter, people are aware of who has tagged them in a status update – because, as with tagging people in Facebook notes or photos, it shows up on their wall (and they can untag themselves if they wish). This also happens with groups and pages, where their permissions settings allow.
Isabel also tagged me and Richard in the same way – so her status update showed up on my wall, as above, and also on the Society of Authors page. Just as it would for a tagged note or photo.
And don’t forget that, earlier this year, Facebook introduced status updates for pages as well as profiles – so you can also use these tags there. Status updates on pages are an effective way to spread your message, because they now also show up in the newsfeed of your fans (unless they have chosen not to receive them).
This is potentially a powerful new way to make links between pages, groups and profiles. Marketers now have the ability to highlight their own pages and groups in their profiles, or post their status updates to relevant pages and groups. So go on: get tagging! Just do it sparingly, authentically and contextually – and without spamming people with your marketing message.
