Last year it was ten years ago that the Dutch office of Meta, formerly Facebook, was opened in Amsterdam. Meta has only developed on a social level as a ‘connector’ for people and companies, but the expansion of the company has also taken off. There have been many goals that are worth looking back on and we highlight a few below.

2011: The Prime Minister’s Facebook page
On May 4, 2011, the official Facebook page for the Prime Minister of the Netherlands was developed. Mark Rutte had just been in the Torentje for a few months. The first post got 18 likes and over 195,000 people followed the page. The page ensures that we as Dutch people remain connected with our Prime Minister in a personal way.

2014: The Oranges create an account
April 2014, just before King’s Day, makes the Royal house a Facebook account. On this page, the Oranges show, express support and followers get a unique behavior in events of the Royal family. For example, Dutch athletes, social goals of Dutch researchers. In 2017, everyone could watch the dinner at the Royal Palace Amsterdam in honor of the King’s 50th birthday via Facebook Live.

2016: New reaction options
The like, also known as the ‘like’, is world famous. The blue thumb is also part of our culture in the Netherlands: the like is even included in the Dikke van Dale! But sometimes a thumbs up isn’t enough to express your feelings. In 2016, Facebook is therefore following new response options. With one click you can find pictures funny or amazing. Sometimes a message makes you sad or makes you want to show support. This has become especially important during the pandemic. As a result, Facebook has also added the ‘compassion’ response option, so that everyone can encourage others through a simple response.

2017: The first major live streams
In 2016, Facebook Live became available worldwide, first only for smartphones and in 2017 also for computers. The use of video on Facebook is huge. We see that companies and organizations use video on Facebook and Instagram, for example for live shopping events, concerts and online master classes. Video is a means to enlarge. In 2017, together with nature monuments, we have a livestream marathon organized in which foresters streamed for 12 hours from different nature reserves. A good example of how the use of technology can help to inspire and encourage Dutch people to go out into nature.

2017: Fundraising campaigns become available in the Netherlands
Not sure what you want for your birthday? Since 2017 you can also ask your friends on your birthday to contribute to the non-profit organization for which you started a Facebook fundraiser. Also at other times of the year, a fundraiser can be started to support a community with new books for the library, for example, by raising tuition for students or supporting an existing charity.

2017: Collaboration with SME Netherlands
To help entrepreneurs get even more out of the platform, Meta joined forces with entrepreneurs’ organization MKB Nederland in 2017. Together they organize training courses and webinars, both physical and online, that entrepreneurs can reach a larger audience for their products and services, for example. Previously, the foreign market was only reserved for large companies, now every target group abroad can be reached via Facebook and Instagram. The collaboration with MKB Nederland fits perfectly with Meta’s goal to support Dutch entrepreneurs, an important point for the export-oriented economy.

2018: Help to Orange Societies
Many Orange Societies had trouble finding volunteers. At one point, in some municipalities, it even spoke out that King’s Day festivities could not be organized. Meta invited board members of Orange Associations to various workshops about the possibilities of reaching different target groups on Facebook. The workshops were successful and the Orange Societies have used their knowledge successfully.

2019: Bringing Sustainability Communities together in the Netherlands
Sustainability is high on the agenda worldwide. At Meta, we believe that sustainability is more than just corporate responsibility. It is also an opportunity to bring people together and support communities. In 2019 we founded the Facebook Community meet-up in Amsterdam. Here, community leaders from Dutch sustainability groups came together with the aim of coming up with new ideas about how sustainability can bring change in our society. They set to work on a sustainability hack to help non-profit organizations reduce single-use plastics at events. During the day, the energy and passion of the group was clearly felt in the room and it resulted in beautiful projects.

2020: Collaboration with Giro 555
In 2020, Giro 555 could use all the help in raising money for their humanitarian actions to help victims of the explosions in Beirut. we have in the Netherlands with Giro555, among other things by setting up NGO training courses on online tools. Thanks to all the activities, Giro 555 finally won more than 15 million euros for the needy people in Beirut.

2020: The first Dutch Community City Guide: Rotterdam
After successful editions of the Facebook Community Guide around the world, in 2020 it was the turn of the Netherlands: Rotterdam was in the spotlight. Each guide is created based on inspiring tips from the local Facebook communities, giving readers a unique perspective on the city. In addition to the stage for the Facebook groups and their administrators, Meta supports local small and medium-sized enterprises with this guide by highlighting smaller smaller companies in Rotterdam in the city guide. Which was extra valuable in corona time.

Over the past 10 years, Meta in the Netherlands has grown into an organization that focuses on offering a platform (literally and figuratively) that supports the success of others. In addition to continuously implementing sustainable innovations in the Netherlands, meta also continues to strive for beautiful sustainable and valuable ways to connect.

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Team LVTPR

[email protected]