Facebook spam - the reporting and blocking tools
So while we wait for the hung parliament to be announced, here's a random HOW TO for Facebook.
Seriously , I cannot believe we voted for lying union thugs in equal measure to lying smarmy snake-oil salesmen . Bleugh! Almost as bad as spammy fake profiles on Facebook.
We all see them , the spammers with fake profiles , commenting into popular discussions and feeds, inserting backlinks to pages that (at best) sell fake followers, or worse, well, let's just say I've seen some doozys popping up in my feed lately .
So, generally what happens is people start commenting to the admin of the group to do something about the fake profile or person ... And that's ok, but if you are not directly naming the admin , then time is wasted because trust me. In a group of 10k , it's going to take them a while to find the random comment addressed to the The Admin.
Here's how you can a mange your own feed, and help keep your feed, and Facebook in general as clear as possible of spammers
These instructions are for the Facebook iPad app - but similar steps apply across most devices and the browser interface. And yes - I do use this very very often for blocking trolls and fake profiles as well as spam.
First up - here's the offending comment - I checked out 'Shane' - totally suss when you profile photo is a stock shot ... #justsaying.
Tap the comment and you'll get a short menu -- with some options
Pick the Report option , now it gets interesting, because Facebook wants to know why you're blocking this person , so I picked spam, because frankly that's what it is.
You'll then be presented with some actions you can take further -- now this is where people get all angry with Facebook , and I just don't understand why ...just pick the block option. Simple.
You will be asked to confirm the block, by tapping the button that pops up.
And then the spammer is blocked - you won't see them, or any of their comments or posts, and they won't be able to contact you or see you.
Why does this matter in Groups with Admins , surely the admin can kick them out ?
Yes, they can, in groups larger than 1 few thousand members though, it's a far stronger, and more swift result if members of the group block en masse , as it lets Facebook know that this is a profile they need to take a look at. As in a real person who is moderating the whole of Facebook goes to assess if 'Shane' is real, and if the profile should be cancelled entirely.
Happy Sunday ....
You can also read my previous posts about Facebook features
Facebook Hack : turning off notifications
If you're anything like me , your Facebook feed is cluttered , and you comment on posts left right and centre.
Which is fine , and dandy , except when you're just over something that happened like 5 days ago, and you still keep getting notified every time a new person comments , or like the post, and well, that wasn't really what you wanted, was it ?
You just wanted to add in a thought maybe a hahahaha, perhaps a like to show support, and now, well, you don't really need to know about every additional reaction to the post .
Here's how you can clean up your notifications :
On the post tap/ the small arrow at the top right to get the menu where you can save posts : the last option on the list ( and you may need to select the More' option to see it ) is Turn off notifications for this post'
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You're welcome :-)
New reaction snuck into Facebook overnight
Check it out ... Facebook snuck in a new reaction overnight
Love this addition - especially since it blasts little purple flowers all up the screen on my iPad when picked ...
Let's hope it's not a temporary thing just for Mothers Day ...because I think it's fantastic.
And of course it doesn't hurt that it happens to be my favourite colour ... Purple !
Facebook's Save feature : on the iPad app.
Yes, we all know in a perfect world, when you're checking Facebook, you would be able to savour every movement, and reply with great thought and care. You'd have the time to go to each interesting article or link and take your time reading and digesting.
That doesn't happen though, particularly if you are super busy growing your entrepreneurial empire.
Facebook has a save feature, as in save and digest later. Kinda like wrapping up that muffin from morning tea to have at your desk later.
Here's how it works in the iPad app :
First up, tap the little arrow on the right of the post you're interested in, and then tap the Save option on the menu that pops up .
This is the same menu you would use to block or report a post , or hide a post
To find your saved posts and content later, tap the More menu on the bottom menu bar and swipe down until you see Saved :
Tap on the Saved to view and select what you want to read, watch or reshare, Facebook shows you how many saved items are not viewed yet ( in my case it's 3 out of a total 4)
Tapping the item opens the link , video or other shared content. The ellipse to the right gives 4 more optional actions :Archive, share as a new post, send as a message, or view the Facebook post.
I love, love, love this feature, it's made it so much easier for me to digest the incredible content that flies by in my Facebook feed later on when I nave more time and some quiet space around me.
Happy content management ladies and gents !