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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » Film-Yak   » My theatre has a facebook page??? (Page 1)

 
This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3   
Author Topic: My theatre has a facebook page???
Frank Cox
Film God

Posts: 2234
From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada
Registered: Apr 2011

- posted 11-07-2017 02:54 PM      Profile for Frank Cox   Author's Homepage   Email Frank Cox   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I occasionally run my theatre name through google just to see what comes up, and I just discovered this. I don't think I'm really happy about it:

Melville Theater

If you hover over a button near the top, it does say this: "This unofficial Page was created because people on Facebook have shown interest in this place or business. It's not affiliated with or endorsed by anyone associated with Melville Theater." They don't go out of their way to make that extraordinarily obvious, though.

I've never signed up for or used facebook for anything at all, not under my own name or my business's name or anything else. And I'm certainly not going to reward facebook by claiming it or activating it or doing whatever they want me to do to get access to that account since it's nothing that I created and I never asked for it and don't want it. Again, the first I've heard of this was when it just now popped up in a google search.

All of my legitimate contacts and advertising is done through my own domain name, not anyone else's and certainly not through facebook.

I guess my best approach to this will be to simply ignore it. I wonder how long that's been there, though....

I've always put facebook into the "evil company that preys on stupid people" category. This confirms my impression, and it definitely doubles down on the evil part.

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

- posted 11-07-2017 03:03 PM      Profile for Marcel Birgelen   Email Marcel Birgelen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Facebook is an evil company and relies on stupid people to share their most intimate secrets.

Today they even started a new service, which is supposed to protect you against "revenge porn", by prematurely uploading nude pictures of yourself to them...

But yes, Facebook automatically creates a "business page" about you, as do many others. Google will also automatically create a profile about your place.

The best thing you can do is to claim it. If you do not want to use it, simply don't put anything up there. Still, by claiming it, you avoid someone else claiming it and doing potentially more harm.

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Frank Cox
Film God

Posts: 2234
From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada
Registered: Apr 2011

- posted 11-07-2017 04:02 PM      Profile for Frank Cox   Author's Homepage   Email Frank Cox   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The problem with claiming it is that people would then, reasonably, expect to be able to contact and interact with me through it.

As it is, I'm not difficult to contact. Customers can talk to me in person, send me an email, fill out the contact form on my webpage or phone me. (In fact, the phone number that I advertise as "office" is actually my cell phone number.)

If I claim it and then ignore it, folks would legitimately feel aggrieved if they asked me a question through facebook and never received a reply. Not to mention that I would be rewarding facebook for what I think is unethical behaviour on their part since they would then become a middleman between me and my customers (which is of course exactly the position they want to be in).

As it is, I can honestly say that the facebook page that has my business name on it was created without my knowledge or permission and has absolutely nothing to do with me. I don't have a facebook account and couldn't post anything on that page if I wanted to.

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James Wyrembelski
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 114
From: Beaverton, MI, USA
Registered: Sep 2015

- posted 11-07-2017 04:38 PM      Profile for James Wyrembelski   Email James Wyrembelski   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Yes, this is common on Facebook. I believe it's generated by people searching for your business, if there is enough interest a page is auto generated.

When I took over our theatre, I noticed there were 3 pages for the Beaverton Gem Theatre. One was the official one, and two I have no idea where they came from but were listed as being in the next town over on some side road in the middle of nowhere. It even had reviews. Luckily, I had the ability to have those taken down by flagging them as not being the official page. Essentially they were "merged" into mine. But, it was strange to me that there were others being made since this theatre has had a Facebook for about 10 years now.

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

- posted 11-07-2017 04:46 PM      Profile for Marcel Birgelen   Email Marcel Birgelen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I guess those other two pages where created due to some mismatches in the stuff they just crawled off the web. I've also seen business listed both on Facebook and Google with wrong addresses and wrong contact information. I guess it's a combination of wrong user input and wrong data acquisition by crawling the web for this kind of information.

quote: Frank Cox
As it is, I can honestly say that the facebook page that has my business name on it was created without my knowledge or permission and has absolutely nothing to do with me. I don't have a facebook account and couldn't post anything on that page if I wanted to.
I do understand your point, but the problem often is that people don't really seem to understand the difference. They'll most likely post on that page anyway.

It's a nasty trick of Facebook to lure you into their "ecosystem". Then again, it's getting harder to ignore them every day...

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Frank Cox
Film God

Posts: 2234
From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada
Registered: Apr 2011

- posted 11-07-2017 04:47 PM      Profile for Frank Cox   Author's Homepage   Email Frank Cox   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
A few years ago I had to jump through some hoops with Google to get my theatre properly located on their map. I already had a gmail account and an "android developer account" (that are actually the same thing under the hood, I think) but there was some extra hoop-jumping required at that time because google conveniently located my theatre about a mile away from where it actually is on their map. This was inconveniencing some customers since they apparently followed the prompts on the map and ended up somewhere on the highway out of town.

After receiving a few complaints I spent a couple of days finding out how to move that location and now it's in the right spot, I think. It was the last time I checked, anyway.

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Dave Bird
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 777
From: Perth, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000

- posted 11-08-2017 10:35 AM      Profile for Dave Bird   Author's Homepage   Email Dave Bird   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Slightly different, we have someone here in Ontario that has put up pages for most of the drive-ins here as part of their "Starlite Drive-In" page. From time to time, we'll have a complaint that the "wrong movies" or pricing is listed on "our page" and I've contacted them a couple times asking they take it down. (It has some garbage ads, etc.) Their response was that "you are open source and we can list you" (as a service to the travelling drive-in public, whatever that is). They sent links of various other (much more professional) sites that list movies, none of which we provide info to but seem to mostly be up to date. Really not sure what these people get out of it, it's annoying though.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 11-08-2017 11:08 AM      Profile for Randy Stankey   Email Randy Stankey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I say that you should just claim it to prevent others from stealing it and pretending to be you.

Simply put up a "This is Who We Are and This is What We Do" kind of page with nothing but your name, phone number and address. Maybe you could include a link to your real website if that is allowed.

After that, all you have to do is go back to the page every so often to be sure that nobody is trolling your Facebook page, or anything like that.

I'm with you guys: Facebook is only for the stupidest of the stupid people.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

- posted 11-08-2017 03:53 PM      Profile for Bobby Henderson   Email Bobby Henderson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: James Wyrembelski
Yes, this is common on Facebook. I believe it's generated by people searching for your business, if there is enough interest a page is auto generated.
Google does some of the same kinds of things. Also, there is little if anything to prevent third parties (customers, fans, cyber-squatters) from generating a page representing your business on Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

At least in the case of Google they're fairly responsive and will give you control of your business' Google page once you verify who you are. It's a little more tricky with Facebook. I have a female friend who doesn't use Facebook much, but her ex-boyfriend has user account control of a page in her name with her images, etc. She just wants the page deleted, but Facebook has yet to do so.

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Frank Cox
Film God

Posts: 2234
From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada
Registered: Apr 2011

- posted 11-08-2017 04:38 PM      Profile for Frank Cox   Author's Homepage   Email Frank Cox   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Dave Bird
Really not sure what these people get out of it, it's annoying though.
I suspect that they sell some sort of advertising on their website and rely on the movie information to drive the traffic.

I've had some people here off-and-on complaining that they drove X miles to see a movie that I'm not playing because some website I've never heard of says that it's playing here. I just tell them that the only website that I control is my own and thus the only authoritative place to get movie information for here is my website.

Most of those third-party website seem to be relatively accurate most of the time. A few of them have subscribed to my weekly email mailing list so they get an accurate copy of my schedule that way.

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Justin Hamaker
Film God

Posts: 2253
From: Lakeport, CA USA
Registered: Jan 2004

- posted 11-08-2017 06:15 PM      Profile for Justin Hamaker   Author's Homepage   Email Justin Hamaker   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Frank
The link comes up as broken when I try to view it. However, I did discover there is another Melville Theatre in Australia. It appears to be a performing art theatre.
Melville Theatre Austrailia

The problem with people spoofing your business is one of the reasons I always suggest people have their own web site and Facebook page. It allows you to control your message rather than someone else.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 11-08-2017 06:35 PM      Profile for Mike Blakesley   Author's Homepage   Email Mike Blakesley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I'm fairly surprised Frank that you don't want to claim that page and use it. It's free advertising. I put up a picture of our one-sheet and a link to our showtimes about once a week, takes a grand total of about 30 seconds.

Sometimes you'll get people raving about how wonderful a movie is and that'll help business.

You can also get "reviews" about how wonderful your theater is and THAT will also help business. (Right now we have 132 reviews and a 4.8 out of 5 star rating.)

You can also add a "shop now" button to direct people to your website (if you sell tickets that way, for example).

And best of all, you can use it to instantly communicate if you have a last minute schedule change due to an equipment problem. We had to cancel a show due to some issue a few months ago...I put a note on Facebook and asked people to share it, and within about an hour it had been seen by over 3,000 people.

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James Falloon
Film Handler

Posts: 72
From: Wigram, Christchurch, New Zealand
Registered: Oct 2003

- posted 11-09-2017 06:05 AM      Profile for James Falloon   Email James Falloon   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Frank your topic reminded me of the deep nervousness I have for Facebook and your post has prompted me to do some internal soul searching.
Over the last few days I've had a think about why I had a general uneasiness for Facebook and come to the conclusion that I didn't like it because I simply didn't understand how it 'worked'.

I came from a similar background - single screen in a town of less than 5000. I inherited the cinema's Facebook page when I took over managing the theatre. I considered the Facebook page a necessary evil, and making posts a chore, just another thing to do. I didn't understand why posting the weekly flyer would get 200 views, and putting a lot of effort into a post would fall completely flat, but then doing no work and clicking 'share' would take off. It never made sense to me.

But after mulling it over for a few days, I think I've come up with a rudimentary understanding; Facebook is not specifically evil, or out to steal your customers, it is ultimately in the same business we are - amusement!

With that in mind, I would encourage you to claim the Facebook page, and just start off by posting your weekly schedule/session times each week. If you do your session times as a flyer or one-sheet convert it to an image and upload it as a picture. It is good free advertising, you don't have to pay for it if you don't want too - I never did. Pro-tip: if you run an ad in the local newspaper see if they will allow you to upload the proof - ask them nicely.

I'd just like to say if I were to berate your website and lack of Facebook presence and call you a Luddite, you'd just get your back up and ignore me. I don't think that you're a Luddite at all, I think you understand technology, you can make a website and run a digital projector, even run a whole cinema, but like me, fail to understand how Facebook works. But I'm sure having a Facebook presence and a zippy website helps, we have to fight for every customer. We've just had the worst year in 25 years or something and we need every customer we can get; yes it's hard work, but Facebook and having a snazzy website helps; two more tool in our toolbox of persuasion. I'm sure it helps to get the bums on seats that we so desperately need right now.

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Jim Cassedy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1661
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Dec 2006

- posted 11-09-2017 03:22 PM      Profile for Jim Cassedy   Email Jim Cassedy   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I work at what is arguably one of the most technically advanced screening
rooms on the planet at the moment. So I'm far from a Luddite.

- - but I don't have a Facebook page and refuse to get one.

The reason goes back to the early 2000's when one day the hi-tech company
I was working for laid off several thousand people. I managed to hold on to
my job, though.

A few weeks later I bumped into one of my laid-off buddies who told me
that he'd gone to work for this (then new) company called "Facebook"

I mentioned that I'd been reading about it and was intending to sign up for it.
(Remember- - back then "MySpace" was the big social networking platform,
although I don't even think the phrase "social networking" was in wide use yet)

As soon as I mentioned my intention, he raised his voice to say "DON'T DO IT!"
When I asked why,he stopped just short of saying they were an "evil" company.
I clearly remembering him saying something like "It's not what everybody thinks
it is. It's far darker". It's almost as if he'd been sucked into some cult and was
afraid to reveal their inner sanctum secrets.
(Think: "Scientology")
- - and he refused to tell me anything more, and seemed afraid to do so.

I had never known my buddy to be paranoid or prone to wild government or
corporate conspiracy theories & rumors. I thought his statement was a bit odd
and out of character; but just the same, I put off getting a Facebook account.

I didn't think too much of it, until about a month later I bumped into another former
co-worker who'd gotten a job at Facbook, AND EXACTLY THE SAME THING HAPPENED.

So- - I've never signed up for Facebook, a decision I've never regretted.

As for my two buddies; they've both since disappeared.
(I'm not saying something sinister has happened to them; I just can no longer
find them. Maybe because I'm not on Facebook?)

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 11-09-2017 04:42 PM      Profile for Randy Stankey   Email Randy Stankey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: James Falloon
Over the last few days I've had a think about why I had a general uneasiness for Facebook and come to the conclusion that I didn't like it because I simply didn't understand how it 'worked'.
I understand how it works and that is the very reason I don't like Facebook.

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