Ruby Pseudo Talks To Kids About Facebook

Ok, so a shameless steal from Ruby Pseudo’s blog, but that’s because a) I think she and her team are brilliant and b) because it’s really good stuff about marketing on Facebook. She’s talking about the kids, as usual, but the points she brings out are right, regardless of who you’re marketing to. Particularly the bit about being polite. It’s like what Russel Davies was saying in the Urban Spam post below.

1. Too often, I think brands believe frippery is fantastic, it’s not – get to the point. Kids – like adults – probably want to know something along the lines of the following from your site… a) where your nearest store, event or retailer is, b) what your product/event/etc is going to cost them, c) how to get in touch with you or d) something pretty much damn nothing like playing a game whereby you click a cursor so some girls knickers fall off. Christ (he wasn’t playing with girl’s knickers mind). 

2. Present the freaking facts. Have a place where kids can put their own opinions down, and be approachable. 

3. Don’t redirect them, that’s just rude – they’ve just turned up at your digital door. Sort your URL out (although, by the way, I’ll apologise for the fact that I think we’re going to have to do some redirecting thing soon, grrrr). 

4. Don’t put some tune you think is ‘hip’ on in the background; it won’t be. 

5. And don’t turn up on their Facebook page and think you know what’s going on – you don’t. 

6. Also, whilst we’re at it, if they’re recently broken hearted, they won’t want to speak to you about it. Secondly, they don’t want you shoving some ‘Single? Broken-Hearted?” quip questions at them either. Have some manners. 

7. Bebo, I am tired of pointing out, is not looked at by anyone over the age of 12. I’d say 8, but they’ll have some statistic to wak back at me that would disprove my point (which is that, since it’s very difficult to delete your Bebo account, they seem to have many members, although actually, few of these are active). 

8. Do not, whatever you do, appropriate youth culture on your site, but hell, we hope you know this. 

9. Avoid pop-ups. Kids hate them. 

10. Finally, with Facebook and MySpace etc, please remember that you’re in their (digital) space: they didn’t ask you to be there, and they can’t very well ask you to leave, so talk nicely. And if you haven’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all…