FaceBook waving goodbye to “fans”, embracing thumbs up.

Facebook is either the worst at keeping secrets or they excel at leaking information, either way regular FaceBook users will see some changes.

The social network is replacing the “fan” buttons with “like” buttons and images of a thumbs up, on ads that direct users to some, not yet all, company and product pages.


Chances are you have seen the ads on FaceBook, paid ads that appear on the right hand side of the page. “John Smith is Fan. Become a fan”. Familiar to most Facebook users is the “like” button, you know you “like” your sisters picture of her 30 pound pug, or you “like” the article about how bad the New Yankees are going to be. With the new use of “like”, when you click the “like” button on those paid ads (just the paid ads) you’ll become a “connection”.

Other than changing the “fan” to “like” and “connection”, there won’t be a significant difference for FaceBook users. For advertisers, this little change could be significant.

Facebook has done a fair amount of research and they have found that people tend to like the “like” button more than they like the “fan” button. The feeling is that by providing more opportunities for people to “like” brands, products and companies, there will be more interaction between the users and the pages. This subtle change should move more customers to the, what used to be “fan” pages.

It is possible that at the onset there will be some confusion. Before, when you hit the “like” button next to a post, there were no real consequences or benefits. Now, when you “like” these ads, you essentially become their “fan” and will receive subsequent info and updates. Until casual FaceBook users get used to what happens with the “like” button on paid ads, there could be some backlash against those brands. Facebook doesn’t seem to care that you could “like” something without wanting to be “connected” to them.

Initially this change is only for ads that appear for larger brands and products. What “larger” means in FaceBook’s world is not exactly known. However, those of us who use FaceBook “fan” pages to help market non-profit, small business or organizations should be prepared to change our verbage from, “hey become our fan” to “like us and lets connect.”