Here’s some things I’m a Fan of:
The late 90’s band Soul Coughing
Musical theatre
Terry Pratchett
The EFF
Here are some things I like.
Diet Coke with Lime
Fuji Apples
Fat Tire
Here’s the difference: I once spent an entire summer looking for illegal downloads of unreleased Soul Coughing tracks. If the bar doesn’t carry Fat Tire, I’m equally happy to order a porter.
The difference, as you can see, is what I’m willing to seek out, versus what I have a preference for. This post is inspired by Mashable’s recent discovery that Facebook plans to change the semantics around it’s fan pages. No longer will you become a “fan” of something. Instead you can simply ” like” it.
The Mashable article brings up some interesting points. It alludes to the fact that users may be “duped” into “fanning” something they really just hoped to “like”.
Consider your behavior on facebook. I “like” things pretty indescriminately; pictures of my neice, random birthday announcements, bon mots and snarky comments. One click and you’re done with it. But Fanning something involves a greater commitment. I’m agreeing to follow the movements of that group (or page or brand) until I get sick of it.
It’s a double edged sword: “Liking” your fan page may help brands develop a greater following, but it may also connote something about the ambivalence of users toward that brand.
“Yeah, I like that. Sure. I like that…why not.”
This semantic change puts a greater onus on the fan page to be engaging, entertaining or useful. You want users to click the “like” button, but really you want them to become a fan. When you like things you can take or leave them. Fanning connotes a passion. Fanaticism.
Sure, it’s harder to be something that people are passionate about, but inspiring a fan can pay dividends. Look at nerds. (I should probably say “Us Nerds”. I made a Battlestar Galactica fan video for god’s sake). Nerds can resurrect a canceled series for a big budget blockbuster. Get your nerds behind you and you can conquer the world.
So…you’ll get “liked”, but what are you doing to inspire passion?
