So today saw the launch of Wycliffe UK on Facebook. For the past month I’ve been making little changes to the page, adding a few photographs and events to make the page look lived in, before clicking the ‘publish page’ button to allow the rest of the world to see. The first comment I got, through Twitter not Facebook, was just a question – “why?”

If you read anything about Facebook today it will probably be negative. If it’s not enough that this company is trying to steal all our private data it’s that there are so many people choosing to close their accounts that the whole site will have disappeared by Christmas. Both statements, to one extent or another, are exaggerations, but there’s usually no smoke without fire and life around Facebook isn’t perfect. Facebook is no longer the magical realm that it was when it first launched.

However, there are loads of benefits and I still use it almost every day. In fact, I know very few people without Facebook accounts.

The concern I have with a Wycliffe UK Page is that it quickly becomes a wasteland with nothing going on. I get frustrated by organisations which setup these pages and then don’t bother to keep them up-to-date. We can’t force people to engage, but we can make sure that the information on the page is current and relevant.

Of course, the other bit is about encouraging conversation. Social Media is a challenge to use and to allow to be used. You can’t just jump in with everything you disagree with and shut people up. That said, the real problem with these pages is encouraging people to start having conversations in the first place.

Wycliffe UK will have a page, at least for a year. I reckon at the end of 2010 we need to decide if it is working and if there are any benefits to use continuing, but I’ll give it some time before making up my mind.

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