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It's no secret that I'm no great social media fan, but I'm not the only one disgruntled with social media.
What turned me against social media?
- Some years ago I built up an audience on a Facebook page – building it up with paid adverts from Facebook.
- Then they suddenly banned my page for no reason that I could figure out. I appealed, but all I got was about 50 pages of T&Cs, and no indication which of them I might have broken.
- A second appeal was totally ignored and all the work (and paid advertising) on my page was gone.
And I'm not the only one to be disgruntled with Social Media.
“Meta Verified” Disappoints a Friend
If you haven't spotted it, Meta Verified is the little blue tick appearing against a user's name.
Meta Verified is a paid subscription for eligible profiles to establish their presence on Facebook and Instagram. This subscription comes with benefits that are only available for eligible profiles that successfully complete the verification process. Meta Verified benefits include:
- A verified badge. Help your community know that it's the real you with a verified badge.
- Account protection. Get added protection for your profile with proactive impersonation monitoring.
- Account support. Access support for subscription and account issues.
- Exclusive features. Get exclusive stickers on Stories and Reels.
I did wonder if I should do this, to prevent against profile impersonation.
However, I spotted a very angry comment from a friend who DID pay for the verification.
- He has recently been banned from posting into groups for 30 day
- He was also blocked from his profile for 24 hours after receiving a warning and ban for something he didn't do, which their automated monitoring systems incorrectly categorised.
- He appealed it because he knew it was wrong.
- No response from no review and the ban stands.
- Meta Verified (paying) FaceBook users are supposed to have dedicated customer service channels available but my friend (who is very bright on social media) cannot find any such support channel.
New “Like Animation” from Instagram Experiencing Backlash
It’s safe to say that users haven’t exactly been impressed by the recent changes to social media.
First, Facebook went all Meta, then it was “bye bye birdy” as Twitter became ‘X’, with plenty of frustrated comments, rather ironically, posted on other apps.
However, the trend doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon as users are seriously unimpressed with Instagram’s new-like animation.
Twitter (X) Fightback?
Possibly attempting to appease users….
Elon Musk's X Lowers Eligibility Threshold for Ad Revenue Sharing
More people can now get paid to post on the social media platform.
X support has lowered the eligibility threshold for ad revenue sharing from 15M to 5M impressions within the last 3 months. They have also lowered the minimum payout threshold from $50 to $10.
Top 7 Twitter Alternatives
If you miss the old Twitter, you might want to explore these Twitter alternatives for your next digital hangout:
Bluesky: A close resemblance to Twitter, Bluesky, a spinoff before Musk's takeover, includes Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey on its board. An invite-only beta platform, Bluesky's terms state ownership of posted content.
Threads: Meta's answer to Twitter, Threads lacks features but gained 10 million users in seven hours at launch. Currently an Instagram feature, it's working on adding functionality and addressing user concerns.
SPILL: With former Twitter employees involved, SPILL focuses on creating a safe community for “culture drivers” with a beta testing phase.
Mastodon: Resurging in 2022, Mastodon faced growth challenges with a complex server system. Despite a decline in users, discontent with X's changes may attract reconsideration.
Hive: Gaining momentum after Musk's Twitter acquisition, Hive's small, women-led team hit one million users in a month. Allows customization and emphasizes images, catering to fandoms.
Tumblr: A nostalgic platform evolving as an alternative, Tumblr attracts users with humor, blue tick badges, and a return to more liberal content policies.
TikTok Text Posts: While not a direct microblogging alternative, TikTok's text posts offer a sporadic posting option with customization features. Allows users to type text posts that appear alongside videos and photos in standard TikTok feeds.
Not crazy about any of these?
Maybe it’s time you started your own. Who knows… one day it could be even bigger than Twitter used to be.
My own opinion?
Yes, I know I need a social media presence – I think…. I know of some very big marketers who rely 90% on their email list.
But for me, the part of the day when I'm supposed to be ‘marketing on social media' is the most miserable part of the day. I'm not very good at it, to be honest, and it makes me very grumpy. Sitting there responding to queries about “What's the weather like where you are dear?” When we all know we both just want to sell each other something!
Some people love it, and I know it's very effective as I have made high and medium ticket sales on Facebook. But for the time spent (overall), and the grumpiness it causes me, I'd rather leave it to others.
Happily, the affiliate marketing training course I promote teaches many ways to build an online business. Email marketing is my preferred method. However, the training includes social media, and that is probably their main strand.
You can check it out ==> here.
