FarmVille Is Shutting Down!? [Content Made Simple]
FarmVille Is Shutting Down!? [Content Made Simple]
Issue #191: Also, learn about the biggest social media strategy mistake I see.
TOP OF THE WEEK
FARMVILLE SHUTTING DOWN IN DECEMBER!
But fear not! It will be coming to your phones!
Quote:
The social farm sim first launched in 2009, and provided a way for friends to share virtual flowers and crops and annoy everyone else on their Facebook timeline. For years, it was Facebook's most-played game - and a favourite of Eurogamer alum Ellie Gibson.
"Following an incredible 11 years since its initial launch back in 2009, we are officially announcing the closure of the original FarmVille game on Facebook," developer Zynga confirmed.
"As previously stated, Adobe will stop distributing and updating Flash Player for all web browsers, and Facebook will stop supporting Flash games on the platform completely after December 31st, 2020. FarmVille will therefore be directly affected as a result of this.
Commentary:
When FarmVille was launched in 2009, it captivated Facebook users across the globe and annoyed the mess out of everyone who WASN’T playing. My mom (and a lot of her friends) were super into FarmVille, and I think FarmVille can be credited with getting a lot of that generation into Facebook more broadly. I remember messing with FarmVille a bit, and it was fun, but it didn’t compare to the real video games I was playing every day. It’s sad to see it go as a result of the Flash Player shutdown, as FarmVille really is an iconic game that changed social media. But it will live on as a phone game, apparently coming soon.
ON THE POD
Jonathan Gloats, Then We Talk About Content Exclusivity Deals and Facebook’s Swelling Rebellion
Elizabeth and I were wrong in our prediction about TikTok, and Jonathan was right. He gloats about that. We got off on a rabbit trail about Casey Newton, newsletters, and content exclusivity deals. Then, we finally arrived at what we had planned to talk about: Facebook’s swelling rebellion. Listen in!
HITTING THE LINKS
Link #1: The Most Common Social Media Strategy Mistake
As I enter a new job that is related to, but does not revolve around social media, I reflect on the most common mistake I’ve seen in social media strategy over the years. (If you can’t read this post, the annual paid version of this newsletter is 40% off through the end of today, so you can take advantage of that offer and read by subscribing here.)
Social media’s place in a marketing or communications professional’s toolbox is to build relationship and rapport with an audience so that a sale may be made at a later point down the road. To mix metaphors, social media is the first date on a long road toward a proposal. And too many marketers try to pop the question on the first date.
Link #2: How to Grow Your Email List With Facebook Ads
This is a helpful post from Social Media Examiner on how to grow your email list, and is sorta related to my post above about the most common social media strategy mistake I see people make!
No matter what type of online business you run, your email list is the most important asset you have for increasing your sales.
Relying solely on social media audiences isn’t a good idea because you’re depending on a third party you can’t control. You’re constantly battling with an algorithm to get your content shown to a small percentage of your audience. And if your pages get hacked or closed down, you lose your contacts immediately.
Link #3: Judge Temporarily Blocks TikTok Ban
It’s worth noting here that the judge who has temporarily blocked President Trump’s TikTok ban was appointed by President Trump.
A federal court judge on Sunday granted TikTok's request for a temporary restraining order against a ban by the Trump administration.
Why it matters: Americans will be able to continue downloading one of the country's most popular social media and entertainment apps — at least for now.
What TikTok is saying: "We're pleased that the court agreed with our legal arguments and issued an injunction preventing the implementation of the TikTok app ban. We will continue defending our rights for the benefit of our community and employees.
THE FUNNY PART
If you like this, you should subscribe to my free newsletter of funny content I find online. It’s called The Funnies. It delivers on Saturday mornings.
You can subscribe to The Funnies here. (It is and will always be free.)
Also, as a reminder, you can subscribe to the paid version of Terms of Service for 40% off right now! It’s just $30 a year instead of $50. Offer ends today. Click below to subscribe!