On Saturday evening, the Chronicle will almost certainly do something it has never done before. We will post an in-house promotion on our Facebook page.
It will be a single line of text:
A word from the Chronicle Circulation Department: The total savings value of the coupon books in Sunday”s printed paper is more than $470. Grab a copy and check it out.
I dreaded this day, the day an ad would be inserted into what has otherwise been a news-only page, and I worry tremendously about how our followers will react.
Perhaps my greatest fear is that there will be no reaction at all. If there is no reaction, it opens the door to having more ads pushed on the Facebook page, perhaps from the actual advertising department rather than just circulation. And once that line is blurred, it’s hard to make it solid again.
Of course, I work in the newsroom. I’m biased. I’m curious to know what you think. Do you follow the Chronicle on Facebook? Would you care if we posted ads to our Facebook wall, mixed in with the news? Would you unfollow us because of it? Sound off in the comments.