What happens when you LIKE a Page on Facebook?

You know the LIKE button that appears near wall posts, photos, videos, etc.? Well Facebook recently announced a change in the way that you identify the things that interest you while you surf around the site and now instead of becoming a FAN of a Facebook Page you will use that LIKE button.

What does this mean for you as a Facebook user? Equally as important, what does this mean for you as a digital marketing firm.

You probably remember way back when you set up your Facebook account, that you entered a number of personal details in your Information section. You entered things like your contact information, your interests, your activities, even your political and religious affiliations.

Did you know that Facebook actually uses this information to target advertising to you? The ads that appear on the pages you see are sent to you based on your personal information.

In a quick survey of my friends’ profiles, I have noticed that many people enter a great deal of data in these areas – some of it real and some of it meant to be funny.

The news here is that now when you LIKE a Page, this piece of data will be kept as part of your personal profile, in the same way that your other interests are kept giving Facebook a larger and more up-to-date arsenal of data with which they can use to target advertising to you.

It will now be easier for Facebook to tailor the advertisements that they display for you to see, because when you LIKE something, you are effectively updating your profile data.

What’s your take on this change? Do you think people will be scared of it? Should they be?

For me, I prefer targeted ads. They remind me of the fact that the world is watching us, studying us, and adapting to us. That’s good if it is not abused. It’s also inevitable too isn’t it?

For a more in-depth look at this top, see Ed Dale’s blog post FACEBOOK BOMBSHELL – How DID EVERYONE miss this!