Facebook | Forum « How important is programming knowledge?

How important is programming knowledge? (10 posts)

Topic tags: Facebook marketing, programming, SEO

Karen Pelletier said
1 year, 4 months ago:
As a consultant with over 30 years in marketing, I don’t have a programming background. I find that SEO and even Facebook marketing seems to require a certain degree of programming expertise. I can get around, but I often get stuck and frustrated.
Do you having a working knowledge of programming?
If so, what programming languages help you most?
What would you recommend for a beginner?
@karenpelletier | # | Top
Dan Howard said
1 year, 4 months ago:
Personally I wouldn’t recommend trying to program to any beginner that is wanting to become a social media consultant. With all the tools available today you do not need it at all. If you do come to a point where you need it, you can and should outsource or outtask it. You can get it done for pennies on the dollar compared to the time it would take someone starting out to get the job done.
@danhoward | # | Top
Karen Pelletier said
1 year, 4 months ago:
Thanks.
@karenpelletier | # | Top
Karen Pelletier said
1 year, 4 months ago:
Dan, do you know any good, reasonably priced programmers that you could recommend? Thanks!
@karenpelletier | # | Top
Fernando Cortes said
1 year, 4 months ago:
I agree with @danhoward
Focus your time on what you know to do (marketing), and outsource the programming service. Even so it never hurts to learn new things everyday but do it because you like it, not because you need it.
@fernandocortes | # | Top
jim syyap said
1 year, 4 months ago:
Tech has always been an Achilles heel for me. One day my computer broke down. Instead of buying a new one, I took that as an opportunity to teach myself how to fix it.
It did not take long. With the free resources on the internet, I was able to fix and upgrade my pc. I then went ahead an learned the the python programming language and Linux.
Today, as a copywriter for social media, I hardly use any of the programming that I learned. I use a few HTML whenever I need to spruce up my blog.
I don’t think it was a waste of time to learn all that tech stuff. I gained something in the process that I am able to use in social media marketing–how to find answers.
@jimsyyap | # | Top
Caroline Chen-Whatley said
1 year, 4 months ago:
I think it doesn’t hurt to have very basic information but you shouldn’t rely upon it. It depends upon the outsource you find and how much you trust them. If you don’t have at least a basic understanding of programming, you will struggle with things like:
- knowing if what you’re asking for is reasoanble/accomplishable
- know if what you’re being told makes sense
- communicate your needs easily to the person you are speaking with
- describing issues you are seeing and what you need it to look like
I don’t think you need to be an expert but having high level understanding doesn’t hurt.
I equate it to your need to create graphics or take the pictures if you’re a web designer. You don’t need to necessarily be an expert at creating graphics but you need to have enough knowledge to know what you’re looking for and what works. There are a lot of graphic designers out there that you can tap for help.
@carolinechen-whatley | # | Top
Dan Howard said
1 year, 4 months ago:
@karenpelletier, you can check oDesk, Elance or even Fiverr if you are looking for a Facebook page design. You can also use services like FanPageEngine or other paid apps to create nice looking FB pages quickly.
@danhoward | # | Top
Leopold Španovič said
1 year, 4 months ago:
Having a basic programing skills is not bad thing. If you have it you know what can be built and how much time it’s going to take or how much it’s going to cost. My opinion is that bacis programing and desinging skills are necessary for gut social media marketing.
@leopoldpanovi | # | Top
Max said
1 year, 4 months ago:
I must agree with @leopoldpanovi .
If you are in a company with many employes, you may super-specialize in one thing and let other people do all the programming stuff.
But if you need to get things done by yourself, a little knowledge of html, javascript and even some php won’t hurt. Not at high level… but enough to understand how things work.
Just one example:Do you want a fb page with a custom “welcome” tab? You’d better know some html. Maybe some javascript. Maybe.
Do you want this tab to show different content to fans and non-fans?It is the simplest php command I’ve ever seen, but it still is php.
Basic understanding of programming languages is basic understanding of internet and computers, which are maybe your main tools.
No need to become a developer… just a few things. What allows you to understand tutorials and to know which are the lines to change when you copy-paste code lol.
This is my opinion at least.
@demorden | # | Top