Facebook: So How Did That Happen?

“You need a Facebook page,” I tell my daughter Imogen. “If you want to connect with other people who might be interested in your music, that’s the way to go.”

So we create a Facebook page: Imogen Elvis (Musician/Band).

“You also need Facebook Live,” I say.  I’m a Facebook Live expert. You see, last night, I listened to a podcast about it. “If you chat to people live, you’ll build up a relationship with them. And did you know, Facebook is giving priority to its Live videos? They have a much greater reach than ordinary posts.”

Oh yes, I know a thing or two about Facebook Live. I haven’t actually tried it myself, but I’d like to, even though it sounds like a scary thing to do. Scary? Yes, what if someone asks me a question I can’t answer?

“I’d just say, ‘Be kind and ask me simple questions. I’m new at live broadcasting’,” I tell Imogen. “But you don’t have to be scared. You wouldn’t have any problems. You’re a natural in front of the camera.”

And Imogen probably will try Facebook Live when she gets her page established. But will I? Should I try it out? Can I?

After a bit of research, I discover Livestreaming is only available (at the moment) for Facebook pages and groups. I can’t use it on my personal timeline. So I need a page. And I remember something: I have one. It’s called Stories of an Unschooling Family. (Isn’t that a great name?) I archived this page a while ago, but I didn’t delete it. What if I download the app to the page? Just to see what it’s all about, of course.

So I head over to my idle page and install the Livestream app. While I’m doing that, I notice how old the page header looks. Should I change it? I spend a few minutes playing around with images and soon, my page has a new look. I have a new look Facebook page that only I can see. I reach for my mouse and click! I republish my page

Now why did I do that? I don’t know. It just happened.

And then a couple of my ‘old’ page followers ‘like’ my new header. And I think, “Hey, that’s so nice!” Nice because they like my header and nice because they’re still around. That’s surprising.

I wonder: “Why did I leave my Facebook page?” And then I remember how frustrating it was when I posted something and hardly anyone saw it because Facebook wouldn’t put my post in my followers’ feeds. I felt like I was talking to myself most of the time. So I gave up.

But Livestream videos are put in loads of feeds. Facebook likes them. It’s pushing them far and wide. But will I really try live broadcasting? If I could get hold of a smartphone I might. Would anyone watch? I don’t know.

You know what? I’m going to try posting on my unschooling Facebook page again. I have lots to share. Too much unschooling stuff to share on my personal timeline without irritating my friends. You could join me. But what if you don’t see any of my posts in your feed? I could listen to a few more podcasts and learn how to be clever with my posting.  And perhaps you could change your Facebook settings for my page to ‘see first’. You could also turn on notifications so you’ll hear about new posts. And if none of that works, I’ll post the words, “Join me live in one hour!” And I’ll make a live video which will go far and wide… if I can get hold of a smartphone, of course.

Imogen has a smartphone. If she wants, she can chat live on her new page. She can also post her music videos, photos, stories, and share other associated links. I reckon she’ll end up with a very interesting page. What do you think? Would you like to follow along?

In a minute, I’m going to publish this post. Then I’ll head over to Facebook to add a link to my Stories of an Unschooling Family page. It feels just like the ‘old’ days.

I guess I’m back on Facebook. So how did that happen? As I said, I don’t know. It just happened.

Update: Livestreaming is now available on all our Facebook personal timelines, but as I still don’t have a smartphone, I still haven’t tried using it!