These days, Facebook is as much a part of our daily routines as checking our email. But there was a time for all of us when it was new and full of wonder.

 

Do you remember your first Facebook post? Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Idaho’s first post was ten years ago on August 12, 2010. And probably like your first post, ours was a far cry from where we all are now. But what this first post might have lacked in sophistication, it made up for in sheer length – 487 words.

 

“I’d written the article for the local newspaper,” says Mike Myers, Director of Corporate Marketing. “So we owned the content, it was timely, and ready to go. Our new website that had room for news items like this wouldn’t go live for another couple of months. And the newspaper required a subscription to view the article online. Because of this, it wasn’t possible to link the post to anything. So instead of trying to come up with something more refined, I just posted the entire story.”

 

We all had to start somewhere.

 

Since then, Farm Bureau Insurance’s Facebook page has garnered 6,840 Likes and 7,000 Followers.

 

The page actually reached 7,028 Likes on September 24, 2017, but Facebook reduced it to 5,200 the following day. “We had gained several hundred Likes during a joint football Fly-Away promotion with the Boise State Broncos," Mike recalls. "This type of response wasn’t unusual back then – about 80% of our Likes came from sports campaigns – but Facebook attributed this sudden increase to a hack by spambots. Facebook was never clear in its details about the reduction. The contest page was secure, and we had experienced similar increases with football Fly-Away contests in the past.”

 

The page has fully recovered since that setback, thanks to a steady stream of engaging content.

 

Our most popular posts have included:

 

• an August, 3, 2018, “Fly-Away With The Broncos” post that generated 972 clicks, and 312 reactions, comments, and shares,

• a November 12, 2019, “Scam Alert!” post that generated 636 clicks, and 349 reactions, comments, and shares.

 

To mark our tenth anniversary, here’s our very first Facebook post – all 487 words – that accompanied the photo above:

 

When the Farm Bureau Insurance Relay For Life of Pocatello team announced its 2010 fundraising goal of $10,000 last April, some were skeptical. "People were a little nervous because the local economy is still recovering," said team captain Brenda Swindle.

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But by the time of the Relay's July 17 closing ceremonies, the Farm Bureau Insurance team had raised $11,690 for the fight against cancer and captured the Top Fundraising Team award for the fifth consecutive year.

 

In light of businesses and individuals still tightening their proverbial belts, Swindle put her faith in her fellow Farm Bureau Insurance employees when she set the goal. "I did so keeping in mind that the economy wasn't strong, but the charitable spirit of our employees was."

 

Her sentiment was echoed by the team's co-captain, Melinda Johnson. "When we set the goal, we looked at our employees' track record for charitable giving."

 

That track record included four consecutive Top Fundraising Team awards for Farm Bureau Insurance Relay teams from 2006 to 2009. Farm Bureau Insurance CEO Phil Joslin says that this shows "our employees feel strongly about the Relay's goals of honoring cancer survivors, paying tribute to those lost to the disease, and raising money to help fight cancer."

 

These goals, not the Top Fundraiser award, are what drive the team's efforts. "I joined the team this year with the memory from last year of an older gentlemen on crutches who slowly made his way around the track at 3:00 AM," says team member and underwriting assistant Lindsay Kopp.

 

Jennifer Lowrey, a proofreader, says she joined the team because she lost her grandmother to cancer and she "wants to do whatever I possibly can to help find a cure."

 

Underwriter Marci Hamann feels that participating in the Relay is a gift to those who have lost their battle with cancer, to their families, and to current cancer patients. "It's the least I can do," she says.

 

Jenny Losee, an underwriting coordinator, says "this year's Relay hit a little bit closer to home for me. A young girl I knew died this year from cancer. She was a doll and I felt like I could try to do something for her and her family, even though it wasn't very much at all."

 

Audit supervisor Linda Peterson participates in the Relay for herself as a cancer survivor, and also in memory of her husband who lost his battle with cancer.

 

Swindle admits that it took longer than usual to reach this year's goal given the economic climate. "But we think future Farm Bureau Insurance Relay teams will be able to meet their fundraising goals because time and again our employees rise to the occasion."

 

The 2010 Farm Bureau Insurance Relay For Life team members were: Becky Clemens, Michelle Coffin, Jessica Coito, Michelle Corbridge, Cara Dyer, Marci Hamann, Dana Haskett, Melinda Johnson, Lindsay Kopp, Jenny Losee, Jennifer Lowrey, Tina Nelson, Linda Peterson, and Brenda Swindle.

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