Why I Think the New Facebook Page Layout Is Heaven-Sent To Marketers.

If you’re a social media marketer like me (or whatever you call yourself), you probably know what I’m talking about. That Facebook NewsFeed algorithm is a pain in the ass. The new layout is a mixed emotion kind of thing (wow!, whoa!, wtf?, etc.). Facebook ads probably has ROI if you know what you’re doing. Hello marketing friends, welcome to social media (although recently it’s Facebook in the spotlight, Twitter will have to take a back seat for a couple of days with its recent changes).

I kind of avoid talking about my job that much because of several reasons. First, I might vent out and that would hurt my reputation (trying to keep everything I post PG-13 at least). Second, I might break a few company policies and cost me my job. Third, I have a lot of things to explain just to give you an idea what my job is like. Fourth, I hate being technical about things.

But this. God, I just love the new Facebook pages layout.

It’s been out for weeks now and I am so, so, so glad I made that decision to turn the pages I manage to adapt the new layout. It is easy to manage the posts. And no, I’m not talking about the Insights tab, we’ll get there later. The layout is so user-friendly, I can even teach an intern to navigate through it in five minutes!

I am assuming our fans see the same thing I see everyday on our page, and if they are, then I must say it’s definitely working for me as a marketer. It’s very simple: cover photo, important details, and stuff posted by the page. It does kind of look like the old layouts where all posts get pushed down to the bottom when a new one is published, but I think it makes the audience focused on what you just posted.

In my nearly three years with this job, I have been recycling the same status updates within a year. And with this new roll out, boom! Fans are finally starting to notice the latest update that gets posted because THAT IS THE FIRST THING THEY’RE GOING TO SEE!

I don’t know about other pages’ fans but mine even comments things that are totally irrelevant to the update. Not that it’s a big deal, but that simply means my engagement’s going up. I honestly think it made fans lazy to scroll down because the posts now take up a huge space. They’re bigger. I just feel bad for my older updates, but hey, if your fans are really that into you, they’ll take time to scroll down and keep reading your content.

So this is another reason why I don’t like to talk about work. I jump from one thing to another because there’s a lot going on! :p

Happy Birthday, Patty!

What I Would Tell Patty

You get wiser every year. At least that’s what I like to think; it keeps getting older meaningful rather than complaining becoming weak and well, old. My youth is starting to wear off (or I’m probably being paranoid), and if I could, I’d want myself today to visit my young self 5, 10, 20 years ago to tell me what life will be like when I reach 26, and how I got through every damn thing that got in my way. I think I’ve learned a lot along the way. Of course, I’m kind of bummed that my 20s is far from Monica Geller’s or Rachel Green’s or even as fun and spontaneous as Phoebe Buffay’s but hey, I think I can now relate to what I grew up watching. So if I could smack my young self’s head, here’s what I would tell me.

To the five year old Patty, life is full of surprises and you being naturally inquisitive and curious may or may not get you in trouble. Never forget why making bubbles was magical or how a vacuum machines sucks dust, and everything that gets in its way. Don’t you ever stop learning about things and life.

To the nine year old Patty, challenges will always be there in life. They do not define who you are, but how you deal with them is what matters. You’ll get over them anyway, even if not in the best way each time.

To the eleven year old Patty, when you do something, it is because you love to do it. You’re going to start writing your thoughts when you don’t know what to say. Keep writing, your voice needs to be heard, even on paper.

To the thirteen year old Patty, high school is but only a phase. It’s one of the most fun years of your life. Explore, try, make mistakes – but not all at once. You can make more later in life. Just enjoy what life has to offer as you leave childhood behind and start growing up.

To the fifteen year old Patty, your story is unique but there’s always someone out there who will understand what’s going on. Don’t be afraid to share. And listen.

To the seventeen year old Patty, be brave and resilient. Going out of your comfort zone is scary but it will help you grow. Never forget who you love and keep doing things you’d invest for your future self.

To the eighteen year old Patty, throw in some finesse. You can be brave, strong and independent even if you show your feminism.

To the twenty year old Patty, lack of sleep results in poor judgment. Don’t make it a habit. Even if you’re rushing for a deadline or something important comes up, make sure you set time for sleep. Your body’s gonna thank you a lot later. It’s also okay to spend time with people you don’t know. Get to know them, you’ll learn about yourself too.

To the twenty one year old Patty, your twenties are when you learn your mistakes. Make new ones everyday. You need to learn a lot to be ready for your thirties.

To the twenty two year old Patty, you can search the world for the right career path that suits you. Never forget what you love to do to keep you grounded.

To the twenty three year old Patty, falling in love is harder in your twenties. Choose what makes you happy and don’t grieve too much when things fall apart.

To the twenty four year old Patty, it is okay if the timeline you set when you were five isn’t happening today. Things change, you change. But you still want it to happen anyway. Always remember what you want in life to keep you going.

To the twenty five year old Patty, life brings a lot of surprises, before you know it, a tiny person is taking over your life or a grown man is asking you to give up a lot for him. Either way, you should know your worth as a woman, as a mother, as a person. What others expect from you will not define you but let your desires and dreams and how you make them happen tell the world who you are. Don’t let your fear take over.

To the twenty six year old Patty, life is not a one size fits all. You have to enjoy the ride. Being a control freak gets you nowhere.

And to whatever-years-old Patty, never forget to go out and celebrate, no matter how old you are. Here’s to surviving the last year. And here’s to facing another one.

Hurray for the Holi-date.

According to Wikipedia, 9April is the day when Filipino and American soldiers surrendered to the Japanese army during World War II, also known as The Fall of Bataan. Fortunately for the modern Pinay (working mothers specifically), we get this extra day out of office to tend to our family.

I don't have to report to work on holidays but today was a must due to backlogs and a few extra projects I want to get done. Getting paid 100% more seems like a good idea too. Since I am working from home, I made a decision to take Javier out as soon as I log off. Throw in the fact that I saw a couple of colleagues posting their holidays woth their family on Facebook makes me want to rush through the day.

The original plan was to buy Krispy Kreme donuts. Then I remembered Javier needs new slippers. So the list of stuff we need gets longer and I just couldn't wait to get out. Javier is now two and can definitely express excitement towards going to the mall, and of course shopping.

Looking for shoes and slippers for Javier is a huge challenge given that he has big feet. I have to stick to a budget because I know he gets big really fast and I just can't understand why the smallest things in the world cost more than what an average adult would need. But I am thrilled how Javier has the patience to shop for him and myself, even at the grocery, with no bribery at all. And in the 2 hours we're in the mall, he didn't ask me to carry him around that much. :)

When I felt hungry, that's when I realized he might be hungry too. We headed to Wendy's and got him Fish and Chips. He loves French fries so much and eating at a place that serves it makes dining out easy. The only problem I had was he didn't want to eat it with his bare hands and he asked for a fork. (Should I be thrilled how OC he is with his hands?)





After eating and buying shoes for myself, we finally bought Krispy Kreme donuts. Javier is just charming at the store and he wouldn't let me carry the donuts and insisted he does. (I think it's a sign I'm raising a gentleman!)




Doing the groceries with Javier was easy. No picking up unnecessary stuff, no embarrassing tantrums I've seen with other mothers, no overspending. Yahoo! I just felt bad that out of the 400 shops in Festival Mall, not one has a pair of slippers that fit my son. And I don't give up just like that. Before leaving, we dropped by the Banana Peel store.

Finally! My "Cinderella" found a pair that fits him well. Cost me Php390 but after trying on a dozen pairs, I'd gladly take this right away.




Javier was obviously tired and hungry when we got home. Two donuts and a bottle of milk later, he's knocked out on my bed. I have to be honest I got tired too. But spending the afternoon with my little prince? I'd do it again for tomorrow I have to spend some time with my laptop and work again. After all, it will just be Javier and me at the end of the day.