Comcast recently invited me to become a member of the Facebook “Join the Conversation with Comcast” group. A company having a Facebook page or group is all the rage these days. I recommend organizations embrace Facebook to learn more about your stakeholders, share information, and to listen. (My employer Avenue A | Razorfish uses its Facebook page to post opportunities for job seekers.) Having said that, I’m not so sure I buy the Comcast group. A lot of the entries read like ham-handed marketing copy from company evangelists who seem to really love Comcast. On the other hand, I’ve noticed that consumers (like me) are using the group to post complaints about Comcast service (on the group wall), and someone from Comcast appears to be reading the complaints and offering to help. Incidentally, I did join the Comcast group, and here’s my contribution to the Comcast group wall: “when I signed up for Comcast in 1997, Comcast charged me $25 a month. Fast forward to 2008: Comcast charges me $57 a month for the exact same service in the same location.”
It will be interesting to see how consumers continue to react to this group, and what Comcast does about it.