Facebook down, what can we learn from this unpleasant experience?

Last Monday, October the 4th, around 5:40 pm Italian time, Facebook servers collapsed. Platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram became unavailable for hours in various parts of the world; people could not connect to their social accounts and then completely lost control over their corporate pages and accounts, as well as their active advertising campaigns.

What could this experience teach to publishers and authors?

The blackout of the entire Facebook system gives us an opportunity to think about things. Many people centralize their online presence on social networks belonging to third parties. What happened on Monday for almost seven hours, could happen to any of these platforms, which might suddenly disappear with our communities and content.

Why not take Monday, October 4th 2021 as a cautionary tale? What just happened to Facebook, added to the progressive tracking limits introduced by iOS last summer, should give us pause to review the modes and channels of our online communication.

Perhaps it's time to start working on the construction of our own database, on the development and management of proprietary channels, and the creation of direct systems to contact readers that won't be subject to sudden network outages, or be subject to the whims of an algorithm.

In your User area, StreetLib HUB, we have inserted the new Direct Marketing section, did you see it? StreetLib Direct is our new direct-to-consumer editorial marketing tool and is now available for a free trial! Why don't you take advantage of this chance to test the full potential of direct communication with your users?

If you haven't heard yet about our new direct-to-consumer marketing service, we recommend you watch the presentation video that Giovanna and Martina have created for you.