Facebook's database is probably bigger than the CIA. The only thing holding back its progress is countries that ban or restrict social media sites. They know where people live, how old they are, who their friends and family are, where they spend holidays, and most importantly they know what they like. Facebook has quantified personal preference—something so qualitative—and their ads are able to specifically target these demographic data.
Above and below are screenshots of some stats about those who "like" Beating the Search Engine. These insights are able to tell a lot about my readership (my consumers) and my brand identity. As you can see, I can assume that the majority of my readers are 18 to 24 of age, most of whom are males (well that sucks). There are also a few minors (this tells me I have to watch my content) and a few people who are young at heart (I must be wary of offending them because they are still part of my readership).
The stats also give me an insight into what kind of things my readers like. As you can see many of you like National Geographic which is good, I think, because I love watching documentaries as well. Maybe I can blog about a list of my favorite documentaries (watch out for that!). There are also those that like Simpsons. This tells me an insight into what kind of humor appeals to my readers. It also tells me that if I have nothing nice to say about Usher, I should just keep it to myself.
Google still gives me the most accurate stats when it comes to traffic sources, search engine rankings, countries of my readers. This is partly because not everyone who reads here click like on the Facebook page (you can do so on the left panel of this blog! I'll really appreciate it!). Also, it's obvious that Google knows what I'm talking about and they're trying so hard to integrate "+1 metrics" into the Google Webmaster Tools.
I remember this girl from Pulse Asia who gave a talk during the Media Congress thing I attended talking about how these kind of statistics aren't really about generalization but more of taking a sample from a set and analyzing it. She likened it to tasting a dish while cooking it. You don't really get to taste the whole dish but by getting a small sample, you can have an idea whether your dish is too salty or lacking in taste and you can adjust to make it better.
Blogging being my means of earning money, I have the greatest incentive to always think of ways I can improve, innovate, and serve you (my readers) better. Facebook has given me tools I can use to be able to do those things.
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