Facebook is ever changing. It seems as though every other week new things, features, aps, etc are being added or removed. I remember when the idea of a “timeline” as opposed to just the standard “wall” was a huge deal…and now we have “check ins”,  ” paid boosts/ads”, “hash tags”, and businesses tracking our every move online in order to “provide us with ‘something we may like, too’ “. Its all pretty exhausting. But the common arguement here is…HOW can we possibly be upset or digruntled by a program/site that allows to stay connected with friends and loved ones, share and save pictures, meet and connect with lost loved ones, and in my case….run and promote a business…in essence…for FREE!?!?!

I may totally age myself here, but I remember sitting in my dorm room at Villanova in 2004 getting the “invite” to join this new thing called “Facebook.” Once only attainable to college kids, and at a select few universities…it seemed like something “new and cool” to try.

But now, as a small business owner, it is easy to see how the “little changes” Facebook makes, can really have a negative impact on our business. One feature I am not a HUGE fan of is the new “star rating”. Sure, I have 4 1/2 stars….woohoo….BUT according to whom!? Over 100+ people have left positive comments and ratings…but then there are a select few that can leave a rating without commenting at all. Therefore, they remain anoymonus. Hiding behind a screen, bringing someones rating down without so much an an explanation. 

As business owners, especially in the customer service industry, we strive to make sure ALL of our clients are happy and satisfied with our work. When they are not, we usually bend over backwards to improve their overall experience and opinion of not only our business, but us as a person! So, when we see these low ranking stars, its INFURIATING to not be able to see who left them.

Now here is the kicker: GUESS WHO CANNNNNN SEE WHO LEFT THE NEGATIVE RATING!?!?! Thats right! Your friends, their friends, the public. Doesn’t seem quite fair does it!?

So, I had a dear friend of mine log in and tell me who left these negative ratings, and I was not at ALL surprised to see who left a “one star” rating. It was competitors. Haters. Other local photographers in my area that are more focused on how my business is doing than their own. People who leave you negative comments, ratings, reviews are simply those who feel threatened by you…who are unhappy with your triumph and success in a common area. Its PATHETIC!

Our world is so competitive, so full of hate…but this industry…photography….it can be one of the most cut throat businesses around. To think, that because you can hide behind a screen, because you have so much jealousy in your heart, you could stop by another competitors page JUST to bring them down by clicking one little yellow star!?!?! To think, that instead of spending time perfecting your own craft and business, you have the time to tear another business down just to make yourself FEEL better…bigger? Such a shame…but it happens!

My clients, my friends give me a 10 star rating everyday….NOT by clicking on a Facebook star…but by TALKING about me. Positive word of mouth. It spreads like wild fire. They show off their gorgeous images and sing praises on their page. I certainly do not need an ill weighted “Facebook rating” to tell me if I am worth 5 stars, when the stars bringing me down are the very people that make it their MISSION to BRING others down for FUN!

When you treat your clients like family, they treat you like family. And when family has a problem or is unhappy for whatever reason, it usually plays out in a respectful conversation where both parties express concern and come to a positive resolution.

Not ONE of those low star ratings, 2 star or 3 star ratings are from CLIENTS of mine. Not a one! Had they been a client of mine, I can assure you their dissatisfaction would have been dealt with LONG BEFORE a rating could be left. That is what follow ups are for!

So please….business owners, other photographers out there…pay no mind to these tiny yellow stars on your page. And if you have 5 stars….yay for you. But remember this….it is NOT the amount of likes on your page or the amount of stars on your page that sets you apart…that makes you better than another. It is who you are as a person and as a business owner that makes you “worthy”. Treat your clients like the gold that they are….treat them as you would want to be treated and I promise that the word of mouth that ensues will spread like wild fire.

To remove the “rating stars” from your page, I have attached a link to a short video explaining how to do so: https://www.facebook.com/FiveStarFeedbackSystem/posts/180080395524432