Cutting the Facebook Cord

This week I made the momentous decision to discontinue my photography page on Facebook. I know, I know, I'm a wild man. But I say that not entirely tongue in cheek, because it was a fairly big decision. Last night I had moments of doubt, wondering if I had cut off my nose to spite my face, something I've been known to do from time to time. But this morning I feel good about my decision.

I spent four years cultivating my Facebook page and accruing fans. However, I feel that Facebook left me long ago. I spent a rather tidy sum of money advertising on Facebook, and in the end Facebook wanted me to pay again (and again, every time I posted something) so those same people I already paid for once would see my posts. My most recent post reached a little over 10% of my fans. And that percentage will only continue to drop. In short, Facebook is no longer free for businesses such as mine. I'm not naive, Facebook is a business and as such has obligations to its shareholders. They won't miss me. But their practices seem duplicitous at best, and I'm not alone in that belief. I feel as if I was abused by Facebook, and staying with them any longer made me feel like I was okay with being abused, even if I didn't drop another penny into their coffers. No longer content to be Facebook's bitch I decided it was time to call it quits. I do have my principles after all. Really, I do. One or two, at least.

So I've moved on, and it feels good. To be completely honest, my years on Facebook contributed next to nothing to my bottom line. That's not Facebook's fault, just a fact. If my page on Facebook was generating business I would be okay with paying to promote my posts, but it hasn't worked out that way. To spend time and effort on something that clearly wasn't progressing my business is foolish. So I have revived this dormant blog, secure in the knowledge that at least I won't be taken advantage of. Thank you to all that have followed me from Facebook, and I hope you may see fit to suggest my blog to your friends and family and help expose my photography to a larger audience. I sincerely appreciate you all and I'm happy you're along for the ride.