Confessions of a Facebook Reject!

Yes, it’s true…I’ve joined the ranks of Facebook rejects. Amazingly, I still don’t know why this happened. There could be any number of reasons from too many friends, too many messages, too many invitations or being perceived as a spammer. Regardless of the reason, the fact remains; I have to wait for the blessings from the Facebook Powers that Be to have my member in good standing status reinstated. Now mind you, this is not an isolated situation. Countless others have gone through a similar situation; patiently awaiting (well maybe not patiently) the Facebook Heaven’s to open up and shine a light on them. Some gave up waiting and simply put up a different page and profile. Simple solution for some, not so simple for others. Depending on the complexity and reason for one’s involvement with Facebook determines what the best solution is. Since this incident began I have given a lot of thought to what Social Networking really means. In the truest sense it is about building a community; one in which people want to be a part of our network. Unfortunately, this is not how many people are positioning their Social Network involvement. Lots of people, myself included, have been guilty of going for quantity rather than quality. It’s as if the Social Network demons take over our bodies and chant, “More, more, more.” What ends up happening is we have a group of “friends” who could give a hoot about who we are or what we are up to. On the other hand, if we have taken time to build an incredibly solid group of friends they actually look forward to hearing from us. When I was a child my father gave me some sage advice, “Virtually anything is okay in moderation.” I wish I would have remembered this when I became a member of Facebook. Moderation, moderation, moderation. Hallelujah! I have seen the light. I am saved from my own Social Networking demons. To the Powers that Be I repent. I promise to behave myself from this point forward. Well, at least I promise to be more discerning about who I accept into my network. To help you avoid experiencing the same experience as myself and countless others here are a few recommendations on optimizing your Social Networking involvement. 1. Determine why you are involved in a network. Based on this, plan out what is your best approach and level of involvement. 2. Invite only those people you really want to be connected with. When you send a friend’s invitation add a short note to the request. Be sure not to use the exact same message with each request or you will feel the Facebook Bolt of Lightning strike down on you. 3. If you get an invitation from someone and there is no personalization respond with a short message such as, “Thanks for your invitation. I am curious as to why you would like me to add me to your group of friends?” Sure it’s time consuming, but think of the number of people who will simply delete your message because they could give two hoots about who you are or what you have to say. Those who respond will likely be quality friends. 4. When you post an event and invite your current friends (which you can invite up to 100 at a time) add a personal message in the box provided. With the next 100 you invite change out the personal message. Too many times with the same message is bound to get you ousted. 5. Avoid posting the same message on multiple walls. Yup! You have to change out the wording on this too. There is more, lots more on why you can get booted off of Facebook, but this will give you an idea of how insignificant the reasons can be. The most important lesson in all of this is take time to build a quality network (and yes that means time) and you will likely minimize your chances of you joining the ranks of Facebook Rejects.