facebook: reply & threaded discussions
It's been three weeks since Facebook introduced reply functionality and a threaded style within comments on Facebook Pages. After actively managing discussions under this new Reddit-like hierarchy, I can now safely say that this change has far-reaching implications for community managers. The nature of Page-to-fan and fan-to-fan conversation has changed overnight, while a long-term shift in audience behavior has only just begun.
Instead of comments existing single-file within a post—where great comments can be lost if the clutter if they're not the last word—the most popular, intelligent and otherwise productive comments now bubble to the top.
This puts the impotus on quality, encourages debate and discussions-within-discussions, and, most of all, rewards those who make valuable contributions with a spotlight of their own: one of the two slots for the most-liked, most commented-on comments featured below each Page post.
The most popular opinions are now naturally amplified.
Facebook has adopted Reddit's proven system of threaded discussions and "upvoting."
A single comment—that is widely supported by the community it's posted in—can now catch fire.
Will this style of discussion encourage social groupthink? It's possible.
For more serious crisis management, arguments can be isolated and answered in separate threads. The consensus among those outraged over an issue will come through in the top-ranked comment—the post that has attracted the most co-engagement amongst fellow audience members. This both allows the audience a way in which to better organize their thoughts and gives us (as the page) a more concentrated way to answer back.
Will this new commenting system lead to an "angry mob" mentality amongst fans? No, I think it will simply allow fans to better organize and mobilize—which will lead to more accountability and forced transparency amongst the brands who use Facebook Pages.
Actionable recommendations:
As a community manager, be careful which comments you choose to respond to, and consider your responses more carefully than ever—they'll be right up front for audience members (especially those who are new to the thread) to see.
As such, consider a bit of strategy here: you have the power to steer the conversation by choosing which comments to respond back to. Reply to more of the positive comments, which will help them bubble up higher in the list of comments, and you can affect the spirit of the discussion or turn the tide of a debate. That said, nothing replaces smart, swift and thoughtful response work.
Likewise, when negative comments flare up, responding quickly is more important than ever. By responding back to a negative comment quickly with your brand's official response, future visitors will see your response up front, and if they do add fuel to the fire, it will more likely be confined within a single, isolated sub-thread.
Spend more time making 1-to-1 responses to those who post, even if it's a simple thanks. Even just two or three responses on each post you make. You'll send out a signal that your page listens to and values its audience. It's less about that individual who receives the comment and more about everyone else who's exposed to it.