Facebook Frenzy!
As you might have seen... I'm going through some Growing Pains on Facebook... and it's been rather interesting to see the next developments in the Social Media arena...My Old Personal Facebook page... J Schwanke reached it's Limitations of 5000 Friends and Pages Liked...and would no longer allow me to "Friend" anyone or "LIKE" a Page... this is not a good thing... when there are so many great New Friends I meet on the Road... and so Many Great Pages out there to share!In Turn... when your Facebook page doesn't work... neither do your iphone apps... so my facebook app, iuploader, and few other travel apps would just lock up and do nothing... that stinks! No way to share photos... or post new finds or status ... and January is a BIG Month for uBloom!I want to be able to share Behind the scenes at the Rose Parade... Valentines Workshops in NY and TX... The Holiday and Home Expo and My Discovery Tours and Finds at the Dallas Market... and The Special Event in Tampa... This couldn't be happening...Because I already had a Public Figure Page... (that's what FB Likes to call it) with over 100 likes... I couldn't merge it with my personal page... and I couldn't change the name of my personal page to FUN with Flowers and J... because it wasn't close enough to J Schwanke...Just to let you know... when you change a Personal Page to a Public Figure Page... all the posts are lost... Pictures, Videos, etc... Unless you download them... and that can take up to several hours... (I know from experience)... but then you also have to RE-install them if you choose... which can take days, weeks or months... because when you start adding a lot of data... FB decides you're moving to fast and limits your account... again... I speak from Experience... arghhhh!So... after working with a Social Media Expert and Analyst... I converted my Personal Page to Public Figure Page... This changed all my Friends to Fans... ( it's what FB does... ) and restored my ability to post... whew!!! Although since FB couldn't merge my NEW Public Figure Page with the One that is already linked to uBloom... and already exists and interacts with my uBloom Facebook page and blog... I scheduled the Old Page for termination... this takes 14 days... on January 10, 2012... www.facebook.com/jschwanke will not longer exist...I won't be posting to this page anymore... but rather keeping a reminder on the home page where to go to Keep up with my Flower Adventures!So Fear Not... Flower Fans and Flower Lovers... and J followers... There's ample places to keep up with me...www.Facebook.com/jschwankeflower My Public Figure Page... where I have no limitations on likes... and where we'll continue to post updates, photos, videos and more...www.Facebook.com/uBloom The Official uBloom Fan Page... where we keep you informed about what's happening in the world of flowers and also where we'll continue to hold contests and fun flower happenings...Flower Thoughts from J... starting January 1, 2012... I'll be sending out Daily Emails... Monday through Friday with a NEW Tip, Trick, Design Technique, Favorite Flower, Picture, Web Link or Creative Inspiration... it's a way that you can start your Day with a quick Flower Tip, Idea or Inspiration with Me! It's TOTALLY Free... and you can Sign up HERE!www.twitter.com/jschwanke My Twitter account where you can follow my Flower Tweets and Travels...The Flower Stand My Blog... you're here now so you know about my blog and you can keep following it to share "MY Stand" on Flowers... and our World of Flowers...J's Schedule on uBloom.com ... we can meet in person... I keep my schedule up on uBloom so that you can see when I'm coming to your town... or a place nearby and we can share our Passion for Flowers in person!I want to end this with 3 observations... about Social Media... and Facebook in General...1.) I'm Thankful for the Amazing Friends that surround me in this life... Facebook has been a way to connect with so many people... but the MOST Valuable part of a Friendship is FACETIME... not Facebook! Sharing an Smile... a Hug... and Flowers in Person can never be replaced by a computer!2. ) Facebook is a FREE Service... sometimes things can turn out being worth exactly what you pay for them! I'm just sayin'......3.) The Disconnecting, Terminating, and Limitations that I have experienced the last few days have actually been quite Liberating... there's an old saying... "Take time to Stop and Smell the Roses"... this statement is SO TRUE.... Flowers are meant to be experienced, smelled, touched and enjoyed... Social Media can be ALL CONSUMING... don't forget that Flowers and Friends Matter Most!!!I look forward to sharing the Most Amazing Flower Year yet in 2012... Keep in Touch any way you choose... and when we meet in 2012 ... Let's have a cup of Coffee or Cocktail and talk about Flowers in Person!