Archive for June, 2011

Hot Seat :: Facebook Page vs. Facebook Group

Posted June 30th, 2011 in Blog, Hot Seat | No Comments

Photo by Pessoahele

There is much controversy surrounding this issue — and we’ve had clients ask us: “Should I have a Facebook Group or a Facebook Page?”. The knee-jerk reaction might be to say “If you’re using social media for business, you need a Facebook Page.” Well, we’re here to tell you that it isn’t always as straight forward as that. The most important factor in a social media presence is engagement. Do you have the right audience? Is that audience interested and participating in the conversation? Are they taking action because of those conversations? We’re currently working with a client to create a two-pronged Facebook strategy which includes two networks – a Page (for the public and other interested parties to learn about the organzation, its purpose, goals, events and more) and a Group (for individuals close to the organization to stay connected with each other although they are located across the nation and in other countries.)

Here’s how Facebook wants you to see it (very surface-level):

Pages allow real organizations, businesses, celebrities and brands to communicate broadly with people who like them. Pages may only be created and managed by official representatives.

Groups provide a closed space for small Groups of people to communicate about shared interests. Groups can be created by anyone.

That said, a Facebook Page might – or might not – be the best place for your organization’s audience to engage with you and with each other. For guidance, revisit your main objective for your social media presence. Is the objective to spread news from your organization to its constituent (top down mentality) or for members of your organization to connect and communicate with each other under your umbrella (bottom up mentality)? If a top down strategy is yours, a Facebook Page is probably best. If it’s a bottom up you’re after, a Group is the way to go.

You might remember the old Groups format on Facebook from about 5 years ago where people congregated in groups with titles like “Flip Flops All Year Round” or “I Love New Haven”. In those circles, often the main point was declaring one’s alliance with a group of like-minded individuals by clicking the “Join Group” button, but that’s where the involvement ended. These days, Groups have been totally refreshed and are quite functional. As part of a Group, members can group chat, upload and edit documents, share links, photos, videos and more. Groups can be open or closed and even secret (only members can see the group and what members post.) However, they are less customizable than Pages and Groups do not have the fantastic metrics to measure engagement that Pages do have.

Read on for some more tips and detailed background information on whether a Group or Page is right for your organization. And, maybe for you, it’s a combination of the two!

Facebook Pages allow real organizations, businesses, celebrities and brands to communicate broadly with people who like them. Pages may only be created and managed by official representatives.

  • Privacy: Page information and posts are public and generally available to everyone on Facebook.
  • Audience: Anyone can like a Page to become connected with it and get News Feed updates. There is no limit to how many people can like a Page.
  • Communication: Page admins can share posts under the Page’s name. Page posts appear in the News Feed of people who like the Page. Page admins can also create customized tabs for their Pages and check Page Insights to track the Page’s growth and activity.]
  • Metrics: Facebook currently offers metrics to Facebook page admins in the form of Insights and Analytics. Insights provides Page owners and Facebook Platform developers with metrics around their content.
  • Applications: Applications enable Facebook Page administrators to extensively customize their Pages. For example, the Static FBML application lets Pages administrators create custom page tabs. Some Facebook Page administrators have opted to use more interactive applications. For example, Einstein Bagels is giving away bagels to users that become fans of their Facebook Page. A BMW dealer in Minnesota published their entire lot inventory on their Facebook Page.
  • Website Integration: Facebook provides page widgets, allowing for easy conversion of website visitors to fans, without leaving your own website.

Facebook Groups provide a closed space for small Groups of people to communicate about shared interests. Groups can be created by anyone.

  • Privacy: In addition to an open setting, more privacy settings are available for Group.
Secret: Only members can see the group and what members post.
Closed: Everyone can see the group. Only members see posts.
Open (public): Everyone can see the group and what members posts.
  • Audience: Group members must be approved or added by other members. When a Group reaches a certain size, some features are limited (5,000+ fans = no messaging). The most useful Groups tend to be the ones you create with smaller Groups of people you know.
  • Communication: In Groups, members receive notifications by default when any member posts in the group. Group members can post updates, (visible only in Group members newsfeeds and on the page itself) participate in chats (unavailable when the Group exceeds 250 members), upload photos to shared albums, collaborate on Group docs, invite all members to Group events and send posts to the Group wall using a custom email address.
  • Messaging: When a post is made, members are notified on Facebook and by email, and they can respond with comments. Members can change their notification settings (so it’s possible they may not be emailed directly) but they will always see new posts when they visit the Group. Group admins can’t send private messages to all members of a Group. The best way to reach all members at once and start a discussion is to make a post in the Group.
  • Administration:
    • Admins can edit the Group information, add, remove or ban current members and other admins and edit (remove) wall posts
    • Admins can set up a custom email address for Groups.
  • NOTE: Joining a Group does not expose the content of your profile to any Group members who would not normally be able to see that information. The privacy settings for your account control the openness of your profile, regardless of the groups you join.

Disclaimer: This post was compiled using information from AllFacebook and Facebook’s help section, two excellent resources for more specific information on how to configure Groups and Pages.

T A C K W A L L :: Jane Coffin Childs Save the Date Postcard

Posted June 27th, 2011 in Blog, Tackwall | 2 Comments

Fresh off the press…(from Elm Press) is a postcard save the date for the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund, an organization supporting research for cancer scientists. With an impressive roster of fellows who have accomplished amazing things (including several Nobel Prize winners) the JCC Fund is a proud client of Elements. Check out their website, designed by Elements and launched last year. Elements will be setting up two social networks for former fellows and the fund, as well as event planning for this 2012 Symposium!

Picture of the Week :: End Strong

Posted June 24th, 2011 in Blog, Here's a Thought, Inspiration | 7 Comments

That’s what my running coach says to me, and that is what I was thinking here as I sprinted as fast as I could across the finish line at the Branford Father’s Day Race. I ran it for my Dad – it’s my second year – and I think about him the whole way. “End Strong” is a great motivational message for me. It means many things, but mostly ‘finish the race with everything you’ve got’, and if I do that, nothing else really matters. It’s how my Dad ended his battle with Lewy Body Dementia.

The day my father passed away, the aides and my step-mom got him up and dressed. He could no longer stand on his own, or dress himself, or hold a spoon. He was completely dependent on all of us to take care of him. There was a sadness in his eyes, but never hopelessness. Even though he no longer recognized anyone except for me (and he thought I was still a little girl) there was never defeat. And that morning, when they had him looking dapper in a clean shirt, teeth brushed, hair combed and sitting up in his chair, he slowly looked around at each of them in the eyes and said two words. He said, “Thank you.” And that was the last breath he took. That was the moment he died. End Strong.

That’s how I plan to live my life – by this, one his many examples. Even in death, my father was still teaching me what I needed to know. So every time I go out for a run, I hope he watches me. I pray he sees me – healthy and confident and giving it all I’ve got – right to the finish line. Thank you, Dad. You’ve made me strong.

Guest Blogger :: Photographer Gale Zucker – “(I’m) Talking Heads”

Posted June 23rd, 2011 in Blog, Guest Blogger | 2 Comments

Headshots, that is.

Online it may be no bigger than a baseball trading card, but that head and shoulders view is your visual elevator speech, your “glad-to-meetcha-here’s-who-I-am” statement. If your headshot is looking slightly retro, if you present it with apology, or if your buddy grabbed it with his phone cam, it is time for a photo shoot.

With blogs, twitter feeds and business FaceBooks, not to mention your website, marketing and  media release release materials all needing an icon, you’ve got plenty of online real estate waiting for you. It’s important for your headshot to make the right impression.

I photograph people for commercial, corporate and editorial projects, so I create headshots for all kinds of clients. Since Amy kindly gave me her blog space to blab on the subject, let me share some advice on getting photos that’ll do you proud.

Choosing a photographer

  • It sounds obvious, but make sure the photographer you call has examples you love on their website. Someone who does luscious glamour photography or awesome action photos of the local sports teams may not make you look edgy, interesting  or professional. Just saying. (And if they don’t have a professional website…really?  How will they make you look good on yours? Move on.)
  • If you work in an office with several people, try to arrange to all have your headshots done on the same day. Booking the time and having me show up with equipment ready to photograph you is the bulk of the fee, so if you can string together a series of portraits, I can give you a price that brings the cost per person down.
  • Studio look or a location setting? If you have an interesting office, or want to give a sense of being connected to the local geography, then an environmental headshot is perfect. Whether it’s making use of an architectural detail or shooting outdoors in nature, a location photographer includes an essence of the setting to tell your story. On the other hand, if you work out of a corner of your basement, requesting a plain studio style backdrop can separate you from the overhead pipes & water heater.
  • Style! I get a lot of calls for “something a little different.” If you’re in a creative business, you might want a slightly unconventional headshot. I can use interesting or dramatic lighting, or angle, or an unusual background. Do you want to look personable and professionally approachable? Shirt sleeves and casual poses can achieve that. Or maybe you’re young but want clients to trust you with big budgets and investment? In that case, a traditionally lit headshot will lend you some gravitas.

What to wear

  • The photographer should send you a tip sheet in advance. Ask for one! It’s part of the value you get by working with a professional who knows the business.
  • In the photo tips sheet I send, I specify what color, patterns & textures photograph well, what will communicate the look we’ve talked about for your image, what to bring on set the day of the photo shoot, and I urge you to put on a little extra makeup for the camera.

Attitude

  • Leave enough time in your schedule for the photo shoot so you’re not feeling rushed. Try to come to it feeling relaxed, positive, and energized. It’ll show.

Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Today’s post is brought to you by Gale Zucker, a location photographer based in the New Haven area. She photographs real people in real places for commercial, corporate & editorial projects. For more information, samples and more, view Gale’s portfolio or check out all her online links. Her book Craft Activists ( from Random House) will be published in September.

Noted :: Alzheimer’s – My Fight Continues

Posted June 22nd, 2011 in Blog, Noted | 2 Comments

As I was working today on an ad campaign for the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, I was thinking about my Dad who died a little over a year ago from Lewy Body Dementia, which is an accelerated form of Alzheimer’s with Parkinson-like side effects. And, my many other friends who I know whose parents are suffering or died from Alzheimer’s.

It’s a terrible, heart-breaking, dignity-stealing disease – one which is hard on the patient – but also hard on the family, the caregivers, the loved ones left behind.

I watched this video and felt an overwhelming need to share it. I don’t know that we are aware enough – or talk enough – about Alzheimer’s, until it’s too late. Until someone we love is diagnosed.

But the time to get involved and do something to help fund the research needed to find a cure is right now – while we are still healthy enough to do something about it. It is the sixth leading cause of death – and the only disease in the top ten that cannot be prevented, has no cure and is actually on the rise.

It is too late for my father – but the fight goes on and I’ll go on fighting. I hope you will join me – either through a donation, volunteering, or joining a walk. Maybe it’s just forwarding this link onto a friend or relative who needs to see it. And check out my friend Kristen Cusato’s series on Alzheimer’s. Do you know someone suffering with Alzheimer’s?

The below image was taken of my Dad, Father’s Day weekend at the Branford Fest in June of 2008, before he was diagnosed. I have run the past two year’s in the Branford Road Race in his honor. I found running helped me stay strong, focused and gave me pause to grieve. I still talk to my Dad as I run and it keeps him close. It’s the coping tactic I’ve found that has changed my life and kept me going.

Branford Road Race 2011, me with my two children, enjoying the moment to thank Poppy for being in our lives as we celebrate his life and ours following the race.