Cracking the Facebook Code (Or at Least Trying)
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to share Chris’s art with more people online. Facebook is a wonderful place to do that, but not everything we post actually shows up for everyone who follows her. You know that! That’s because Facebook uses something called an algorithm. These are the rules they use to determine who sees what when people scroll.
I don’t want us to get lost in tech-speak, so here’s the simple version.
What the Algorithm Really Is
Think of Facebook like a restaurant host. When you walk in, the host doesn’t let you sit just anywhere—they guide you to a table and try to serve you the food you’re most likely to enjoy.
That’s exactly what the Facebook algorithm does. It looks at:
Who you interact with most – friends, pages, or artists you already like.
What type of posts you enjoy – photos, videos, links, or updates.
How fresh the post is – newer content usually gets placed higher.
How other people react – if a lot of people comment or share quickly, Facebook assumes it must be worth showing to more people.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Drawn by Chris in college. At least this print survived. We can assume he is thinking about creating his own code—the Da Vinci Code.
My Plan to Figure It Out
I want to understand (as the blog writer) these rules better, so Chris’s art has the best chance to be seen and experienced. Here’s how I’m going to experiment:
Post regularly, at different times of day – to see when people are most likely to notice.
Mix up the formats – photos of finished paintings, short videos of Chris painting, and little behind-the-scenes stories.
Watch what gets the most interaction – likes, shares, and comments are all clues.
Adjust as I learn – if videos do better, we’ll make more videos. We can determine which days and times work best, then we’ll stick to them.
It’s a bit like gardening—you plant a few seeds, pay attention to what grows and nurture the ones that thrive.
How You Can Help
If you follow Chris on Facebook, you’re part of this experiment too! Every time you like, comment, or share one of her posts, it tells the algorithm, “This matters. Show it to more people.”
Even a quick “Beautiful!” or a heart emoji makes a real difference.
I’m excited to see what we learn along the way. By understanding how Facebook works behind the scenes, maybe we can get Chris’s art in front of the people who will love it most.
Stay tuned—I’ll share what we discover!