Excuse me for a moment while I write about social things instead of spiritual things. In particular, let’s talk about Facebook.

In December, Facebook made a really big change that you may not have noticed. If you’re on Facebook, you probably have a run-of-the-mill personal page. If someone wants to connect with you, she sends you a Friend Request, you accept, and boom. You’re now BFFs.

But you probably have a few “Fan Pages” that you “Like” as well. These are pages that businesses, brands, celebrities, etc. set up to communicate with their followers in a simpler way. You don’t have to submit a request to connect to these pages. You just click “Like” and it’s done. Your church, your favorite singer, and your children’s schools all may have Pages set up that you have Liked, and you may have depended on Facebook as your primary way of keeping in contact with these entities.

Enter the change. Facebook has changed its complicated algorithms that choose what posts and updates you see on your News Feed. They no longer show every post from every page you like. They pick and choose.

For example, Laurie Cole has 2,141 followers on her Facebook Page. However, sometimes Facebook only shows our posts to as few as 87 people. (See that “Total Reach” column? That’s how many people actually saw each post.) That is less than 5%!

Of course, companies have the option of paying Facebook to make their posts more visible, but in an effort to declutter everyone’s News Feeds as well as boost revenue, you can no longer rely on Facebook to show you everything you want to see.

What does this Facebook change mean to you and what can you do?

1. Like and Comment often. When you see something on Facebook (an article, photo, etc.) that you like, “Like” it or Comment. Doing so helps Facebook know they need to spread the word.

2. Sign up for email lists. The best way to make sure you don’t miss out on announcements, info or encouragement from you favorite authors, etc. is to join their mailing lists. At Priority, we even give you a FREE e-book as a thank you when you do this.

3. Stay social. You can also make sure you’re following your favorites across other platforms as well. For example, here are all the ways you can continue to connect with us at Priority:

Laurie’s Facebook Page
Laurie’s Twitter Page
Emily’s Facebook Page
Emily’s Twitter Page
Emily’s Pinterest Page
Priority’s Pinterest Page
Stephanie’s Twitter Page

Between you and me, there a side of me that wishes I could just get off social media, go into a hole, write anonymously, and have my books and messages appear in your lap without all this social hoopla. There are times when it feels like a necessary evil that takes me away from the most important thing – writing to encourage YOU to give God priority.

But, there are also parts of social media that I love. I love that I’ve tweeted with Beth Moore, Jon Acuff, Michael Hyatt and more. I love that we can give away Scripture Art, video lessons and copies of books for FREE.  And of course, I love connecting with you, our readers.

But mostly I love social media for the way it helps us spread God’s Word in ways that were impossible just ten years ago. What. A. Blessing! So, while Facebook may frustrate, Pinterest may poke, and Twitter may make my head twirl, we will continue to do as much as we can from a social point of view so we can continue to help you from a spiritual point of view.

Let’s Talk: How do you depend on social media as a part of your spiritual growth?