Social Media Integration: Look Before You Leap

Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed how far Facebook has gone in integrating with other platforms across the Web. LinkedIn , reportedly, is following suit. What do you do when total integration becomes available between businesses and social networks? This article looks at how some social media integration could cause problems for business owners – the advantage, however, is that you can look before you leap.

Facebook Connect and Your Business

Another issue with Facebook Connect is the possibility of connecting your business with Facebook in a similar fashion. What if you like the concept that the integration of Facebook and Huffington Post represent? What if you could integrate Facebook with your business in the same way? While I thought about doing a Facebook Connect possibility such as the one Huffington Post has, I also was at a loss as to how I could justify it. The reasons against my decision included:

1.The market that reads Appomattox News is somewhat liberal, but it also appeals to people who are middle-of-the-road politically. I don't want to alienate those latter readers, as I enjoy their numbers when it comes to SEO.

2.My market for that news venue also is split between regular Internet users and those who are clueless when it comes to social media. Not only do that latter bunch not know how to use it, they don't care about it. Why would I confuse them with popups that ask whether or not they want to connect to Facebook when they read or comment on my site?

Your situation may be entirely different, however. If you think – long and hard – about the possibilities that could happen if you connect with Facebook in the way that HP has with Facebook and you come up with more positives than negatives, then you might think about using Facebook Connect with your business as well.

But, before you do, think about one more thing – how smoothly will that integration go for you?

Integration and the User

I read HP, mainly for the comments. And, since the headlines go to some news that is off the radar for mainstream media, I also get to read about news that may not hit mainstream media for days. For instance, HP runs some stories today that CNN may pick up on a day or two later.

But, when HP began their integration with Facebook, I was thoroughly annoyed as a user. There were a few glitches that have since been ironed out, but that almost turned me away from HP altogether:

• First, I like to follow some people who make comments on HP stories. Before Facebook Connect, following someone was a piece of cake – you simply clicked on the "follow" link after that users name. After Facebook Connect, there was one point where you could not follow someone without aligning yourself as a friend with that person on Facebook. For me, that was not an option.

• Secondly, every time I make a comment, a Facebook Connect box pops up asking me to share my comment on Facebook. Since I am myself on Facebook, but go incognito on HP, there was no way I was going to flash that comment on my Facebook profile. I have a mission on HP, one that I don't care to share even with my best friends.

• Finally, not only is that popup annoying, it slows down my reading and response time. Going back to my reasons for not using it for Appomattox News, I can only imagine how this integration may slow down readership in areas that have dial-up and little to no broadband.

Before you decide to integrate Facebook Connect with your business, go to HP and learn more about what it's like to be a user before you make that leap.