Social Media Marketing

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common interests with Mike as well. Note that this is not always the case: More than
a few ill-advised “friend suggestions’ have occurred as a result! But don’t let that stop
you: The underlying point is that through the analysis of how people are connected,
reasonable suggestions can be made as to who else might benefit from also being con-
nected. Offering that bit of helpful connection advice can make a big difference in how
well your community applications develop over time.
Figure 11.4 Profile Completion
In addition to recommending friends, Facebook also uses its awareness of its
members’ own social graphs to encourage engagement between current friends—for
example, to keep “everyone involved in the party.” Facebook community managers
noticed that more than a few members had, as they described it, “dropped out.” After
an initial period of activity following their joining Facebook, the activity levels of some
individuals declined to near zero.
To counter this decline in activity noted with some of its members, Facebook
introduced its “reactivation” program, called “Reconnect,” as an initiative to rekindle
activity. However, rather than simply sending an email that said, “Hey, what’s up?
We haven’t heard from you in a while...,” Facebook turned to the social graphs of its
members.