Managing Facebook Page via mobile phone

Updating Facebook Pages when out and about is not easy and surprisingly it's not possible via any of the mobile apps. However, you can edit Pages by pointing your mobile browser to http://m.facebook.com. Even here you can't upload photos. The solution is to upload photos by email. On your Facebook Page go to Edit Page/Settngs/Mobile and you'll see an email address that you can use to upload photos as well as status updates. To add a caption to a photo add a subject line. The only downside is that Facebook groups the pics together in Mobile Uploads so you can't create seperate named albums. An alternative method for managing Pages when mobile is to use the full version of  Facebook at http://facebook.com but even with a large screen smartphone this can be fiddly.

National Trust tops on Twitter

It's great to see a traditional institution like the National Trust embracing social media and really shining on Twitter. What strikes you about the @nationaltrust account is the volume of conversation. Plenty of questions from members being answered and lots being asked too. All is done in an engaging informal way on a very regular basis including weekends.  Links to relevant articles are tweeted together with comment and opinion. Overall an excellent example of Twitter use; engaging, relevant, interesting and on brand. The account is rewarded with a substantial audience of 45000 followers.

Abel and Cole deliver on Facebook

Organic food delivery service Abel and Cole provides a great showcase of how a Facebook Page can help acquire and retain customers. The Welcome Page gives good reasons to Like their Page - '...we'll keep you up to date with fun comps, veg news and in-the-know foodie chat'. Evidence that they'll keep their promise is displayed in eye catching images and text. I like the way the Page then welcomes you back after you've liked it. Highlighted is their 'refer a friend scheme' - great for new and existing customers. The Wall shows plenty of regular engagement with fans and swift answering of questions and issues. The whole Page emphasises their organic credentials through videos, photos and Twitter feed.

If you come across any examples of good or bad use of social media I'd love to hear from you.

Facebook's new Subscribe feature

A big change from Facebook last week with the introduction of the Subscribe feature. It's been said that Facebook reaches friends but Twitter reaches the world. But the i ntroduction of this feature moves Facebook closer to Twitter and Google+ where the emphasis is on 'following' rather than 'friending'. Friending is not disappearing but the Subscribe button allows you to have subscribers to your public posts. It will appeal to people who have a strong personal brand eg journalists, pundits, authors, actors, musicians and perhaps politicians. The feature allows people interested in someone else to receive updates without the need for friending. At one level it's just a link but the Subscribe function moves Facebook from a closed to an more open network. An interesting development.

Facebook introducing 'smart lists'

If they haven't appeared on your Facebook yet, 'smart lists' will do soon. As with the Subscribe feature this moves Facebook closer to Google+ where people are added to Circles. Smart lists are created automatically which is a massive improvement on the previous clunky manual method. More on this in the next issue.