The Deed is Done.
http://streamingradioguide.com/facebook-counts.php
It looks like Facebook is just about universal now on radio stations (except those that target old people). The above list will show you the “Like” counts for all the stations I’ve found so far, along with a link to their facebook page and home page (in case you want to Like!) them too.
Being the sadistic person I am, I added a link to get the server to update the Like! count so the count will be more accurate. It will be restricted so people don’t just sit there all day refreshing their favorite station over and over (unless I decide to add Googe Ads to that page, hehe)…
If you’re worried about your privacy, I’m not pulling in any Facebook javascript iframes or the like. All of the links to facebook are just straight <a href=….
The “Front Page” has just had its first overhaul in a long time.
Over the last year, my rule has become “If you don’t have a web site, you don’t have a station format” – so the columns showing the counts and % of radio stations with a web site has been moving toward 100%.
So I’ve dropped out those columns and replaced them with facebook stats. The gathering process is not yet even half done, so the numbers are currently incomplete.
So, I’m assuming this doesn’t count the FB pages where the station decided to put it up as a personal page (see, for instance, WGWE/Little Valley, which has 3900 “friends”). http://www.facebook.com/classichits1059
The gathering process is still underway.
For the most part I’ve been blissfully avoiding knowing the details of Facebook. You’re pointing out the difference between “Friend” and “likes” (formerly “fan”).. Being a Friend requires permission of the Facebook account (which would be full time job for a Glenn Beck) and potentially lets two people who are Friends on the station see more personal information about each other than they might want to divulge. “Like” requires no approval and doesn’t mean much in the big scheme of things.
Facebook has also had a thing called “Groups”, where people who share a common interest gather. I’m not clear if that idea “went away” or morphed into something else
I read a blurb that application developers have rated Facebook as having the API that is the worst documented, unreliable and constantly changing without notice. All of that appears to be true.