Facebook Spammers…Really? Haven't We Learned? 7 Ways to Get Unfriended on Facebook

Facebook is no longer new, nor are the unspoken rules of engagement. Really when you think about it, all the rules of social media are just plain common sense. And yet on a daily basis, Facebook users are pestered, poked, and plagued by people who just don’t seem to get it.

No more excuses people – it’s time to GET IT! Pleading newbie and playing dumb doesn’t cut it anymore. Take a hint from the people who delete your spam posts on their walls, quietly remove photo tag after annoying photo tag, or leave the group you created for the sole purpose of promoting your business, and STOP doing what you are doing! Just STOP. Please.

7 Ways to Get Unfriended on Facebook…IMMEDIATELY
(In no particular order of annoyance)

#1: Photo Tagging – Drawing attention to your product, promotion or profile by tagging a group of people who aren’t IN your photo is truly lame. People do not want photos of themselves as a magical gasoline additive, new-fangled diet systems or even the inspirational photo of the day on your business page.

#2: Posting Promotions – Sharing links on your own wall or business page is fine, but posting promotions on other peoples’ walls without their permission is unacceptable. I recently unfriended someone who shared a link back to their anti-aging product as part of her birthday wishes to me – SPAMMING ME ON MY BIRTHDAY…REALLY?

#3: Automagic Subscription – Signing people up to receive your newsletter by culling email addresses from their Facebook profiles is not only a bad idea, it puts your newsletter account at risk of being reported for spam. Note for those who are tempted: lots of people have special email addresses that they share via Facebook so they will catch you!

#4: Group Messages – Asking a giant group of your Facebook friends to vote for you, join you for your free informational call on this brand new MLM you joined or whatever other promotion you just have to send out is a bad idea. If you don’t know someone well enough to send them a conversational note with a P.S. with your request, don’t do it!

#5: Irrelevant Event Invites – Inviting people to events that they can’t possibly attend on topics they have no interest in is annoying. Again, if you don’t know enough about your Facebook friend to know whether or not they would be interested or could possibly attend, invest the time getting to know them before clicking invite.

#6: General Creepiness – Poking, propositioning or stalking is unacceptable and will likely get you blocked and possibly even reported. This applies to Blonde Collectors who only friend attractive (and usually much younger) women, and any other single men of any age who use Facebook as a dating service. If the profile says, “Interested in: Networking”, take a hint.

#7: The Random Pitch – Launching into a pitch the second you meet someone isn’t something you would do at a networking event so why do it via Facebook? The idea of social media is to BUILD relationships over time, not friend them in order to pitch them a few seconds or months later.