The New Facebook Algorithm Demystified
Over the past 10 years, the Facebook posts of your church or organization might have amassed many likes, but most users have felt a drastic change in the past year.
Have you noticed?
NEW FACEBOOK MISSION
With the new mission of Facebook, to “give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together,” the tech giant applied a new algorithm to the users’ content, which impacted the popularity of certain content. In a recent Future.Bible podcast, Facebook’s Global Faith-Based Partnerships Leader Nona Jones explained:
“We prioritized Facebook groups as our community building platform ... And so now, the distribution of content from groups is ranked almost as highly as friends and family.”
This change caused—what appeared to be—a drop in fans and followers, but in fact it did something more valuable and rich: it removed the clutter and gave us fertile ground in which to plant deep roots within our digital communities.
DIGITAL COMMUNITIES
For faith organizations, creating online communities on Facebook is an easy and logical step. Churches already organize themselves into groups (congregation, study groups, small groups, ministry groups, etc.), and Facebook is making it easier than ever to take those group experiences online.
Churches create groups for time-limited events, like a Lenten Readings Group or a planning group for a kids’ carnival, or they create an ongoing, closed group for accountability and encouragement.
Discover the ultimate purpose of building online communities when you listen to the podcast, and also understand the difference between your organization’s page and a Facebook group.
COMMUNITIES WHO READ THE BIBLE
Have you ever been part of a community that conducted a Bible-reading campaign? Whether it was online or in person, we’d like to hear about your experience! Take a minute today and fill out the survey (and get entered into a drawing for an Amazon gift card!).
Read more: 5 Steps to Run a Church-Wide Bible Reading Campaign
Does your church or group have a .BIBLE website? Check out the available names and get your .BIBLE domain today!