Location: Starbucks, Cebu – Reading Time 3mins
UPDATE: So, I went live with this post literally about 8 hours ago, and as I wake up and start to enjoy my breakfast looking at the ocean here in Boracay, I figure I’ll check out the old Fan Page to see if it’s still gone. And would you believe it – its BACK! They re-enabled the Profile and the Fan Page. Was it because of the rant n’ rave post that you will now probably not even bother reading – probably not. Do I care? Nope. Guess it was just my lucky day… All links on the site have been switched back to the original Fan Page now.
Okay, so I’d like to welcome you to the first ever Virtual Business Lifestyle Rant ‘n Rave blog post…! Enjoy…
Just over a week ago the popular social networking website, Facebook, brought it on themselves to disable my business networking profile, and along with it (as it was attached to the profile) the original VBL Fan Page, which at the time had been up and running for about 7 weeks and had 715 members. Which, I believe is pretty good going. We now have new fan page – please click here to join us, again, immediately.
We were all, including you loyal readers/viewers out there, doing a great job of spreading the word and increasing the VBL’s following on the biggest social networking website online today, and then it was literally ripped away from us all, without even a ‘real’ explanation. My question is – WHY?
Why was my account disabled…? I ask because I have no idea. Facebook don’t tell you why. They simply stop you from signing in, giving you an email address to send an ‘appeal’ to (which I did straightaway, obviously), and then after you have crafted the email and sent it to them, you get a bog-standard bunch of BS auto-reply back from them saying they will look into it. And then… Nothing.
Here’s the thing – if it wasn’t for people like me – and you – the Facebook users of the world, and the bloggers that want to create fan pages to promote their brands and websites, they wouldn’t be as big and as successful as they are today, would they!?!
If it wasn’t for us, the principles of the company wouldn’t be making all the money they are through ‘targeted advertising’ and they most certainly wouldn’t be getting all the press they need to get in order to eventually sell off the majority of their shares in the company and make MILLIONS of dollars.
Am I crying over spilt milk – yes, a little. As a growing blog, the fan page that we were working on was great because it gives you the opportunity to blast a quick message to the fans of your page with a click of a button (much like an AWeber account). We did not abuse this – maybe sending one message a week, at most. So, the question still remains, why should our fan page be thrown out of the window…?
Here’s the biggest thing for me – it’s a social NETWORKING website. Why would you disable a profile if it hadn’t posted any obscene material…? If it was just being used to NETWORK with other like-minded individuals and create conversation (the whole point behind social networking!!!) how much harm could it cause…? And why would you stop the flow of conversation by getting rid of it?
I guess we’ll never know. Rant over!
Now please head over to the new Facebook Fan Page for the Virtual Business Lifestyle and join us – again! Thanks.
I’d love to hear your comments on this topic, especially as I know a lot of readers of the blog are bloggers themselves, some of whom actually have Facebook fan pages themselves. You can also spread the rant via also spread the rant via Twitter by “Being Sweet and Retweet!”. Thanks again, everyone!
