Like, Share, Help Me with My Newest Business...

[Roses]

Looking for some expert Ehell advice! 

I have an to increasing number of friends and family who are using Facebook to market their latest idea, MML product, new business, etc.  I personally don't use FB this way and instead really do just use it to keep in touch with friends, see what they are doing, see pictures of trips, kids, etc.  I am starting to feel a bit harassed by all the requests to like, share, crowd fund, purchase products or otherwise support these various businesses.

I need a polite phrase or two I can use when asked about not participating. I know "I'm afraid that won't be possible" is one, but I'd like something that doesn't seem as abrupt.  Some of these conversations are with very dear friends and family.  Any options?  Ideas?

It should also be noted that I'm very supportive of these ideas and friends and help in other ways, I just don't want my FB page to become their marketing tool.

[Deetee]

You can set whatever boundaries you want. Like nothing may be easiest. Just keep it for friends. (And remember, the block function is your friend)


My personal rules are that I will "like" the business page. I will very, very rarely share it. I don't know if I've ever bought something. If anyone is annoying, I will block/unlike the page cheerfully.

But I noticed with facebook's new system, unless other people are liking the posts I never see them. This made me sad over the Olympics because I missed all the Norwiegen curling team updates from a page I liked 4 years ago.

[Ceallach]

I ignore most of these type of requests - typically they aren't addressed personally so I feel no obligation to respond.      If asked in person I'd say "Oh that sounds interesting I hope it works out well for you! Have you tried the beandip?"    So don't make it about  *you* or *your* support specifically.   Because it's not, it's their thing.

For me it's political or theological type things as well that I approach this way - I know a lot of people who campaign via facebook for causes they feel strongly about and get a lot of invitations to participate.   For me FB is a light, fluffy place to share photos and keep in touch with people's lives.   (I have a huge extended family, FB has really helped keep us all connected in a way that was simply impossible in the past - for me it has significantly improved my human social interactions in real life by providing a platform to easily keep up to date, communicate and plan get togethers!).   

I prefer to keep it that way and I find most of the time I can simply ignore things that aren't in keeping with that, even if it means ignoring topics I feel strongly about.   

[sweetonsno]

I don't think I've every had a friend notice (let alone mention) it when I ignored that sort of request, so my advice may not be helpful. But I'd just say, "Thanks, but I'm not interested," and if pressed add that "I really use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family on a personal level; I don't add businesses or pop culture pages."

[Margo]

I would 'hide' the updates on my own wall.

If asked, then I think I would do as Sweetonsno says,
 

I don't think I've every had a friend notice (let alone mention) it when I ignored that sort of request, so my advice may not be helpful. But I'd just say, "Thanks, but I'm not interested," and if pressed add that "I really use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family on a personal level; I don't add businesses or pop culture pages."

except that if these are family and friends I would probably start with "I only use facebook to keep up with family and friends on a personal level, I don't add or show pages for businesses" as I think that may be seen as less personal - the message is "It's not that I'm not supportive of you, Auntie - I don't do business on facebook at all" whereas starting with "I'm not interested" might come off as quite abrupt (although it is in no way rude.!)

If you are pressured to support / invest in their business then the old favourite "I never mix business and family" might be useful.

[GrammarNerd]

I'm friends with the dad of one of my son's baseball buds from last summer.  Recently he got into Advocare.  I'm OK with him posting about how he did a cleanse.  Fine...no problem. 

But then, it seemed that the posts got more frequent where he's extolling the virtues of it all, and is saying stuff like 'I'm placing an order tomorrow if anyone is interested!  You can get XX% off if you order XYZ!'

So I hid his feed. 

I'm like you....if you're into something, fine.  But don't use your personal FB page as a marketing tool for your side business.  Create a separate page for that.  I want to hear about YOU, not your business.

(While typing this, I just went to look at his wall.  Most of what he posts is shares of other pictures.  There were a few personal posts, or "Go (team)!" posts about sports teams.  And I would say probably 20% of the recent posts were about the Advocare stuff.)

[Raintree]

I recently created a business page and invited friends to "like" it. They were overwhelmingly supportive. But I would never go after someone who ignored the request and ask them about it. They are free to ignore if they choose; I just put it out there as an invitation to "like."

I'll like someone's page to show support, but if I'm not actually interested in the posts, I hide it from my newsfeed.

But I've had people on my friends list whiningly demand that everyone "like" their page. The more they demand, the more I ignore. I think if the OP gets asked about it, she should reply just that, "Oh, I use FB only to keep in touch with friends, sorry." The person shouldn't be asking her about it.

[melicious]

I'm like you....if you're into something, fine.  But don't use your personal FB page as a marketing tool for your side business.  Create a separate page for that.  I want to hear about YOU, not your business.

Sorry, but  annoying as it is, he can use his FB page for however he sees fit. You're better off just hiding his feed if you don't want to see all of his updates. He doesn't have to create a separate business page.

[blarg314]

My basic approach -

I usually ignore any solicitation/business type emails. I will occasionally like/share one, depending on what it is (someone running a MLM or sales party deal, no, but I might do so for a friend's new home business).

If someone is posting excessively, or the only thing they post is ads, I'll hide their feed, because I'm not interested.

If someone posts ads on my wall, they get blocked, and the ad removed. If someone messages me about their business, I say no the first time, if they keep pestering, they get blocked.

[GrammarNerd]

I'm like you....if you're into something, fine.  But don't use your personal FB page as a marketing tool for your side business.  Create a separate page for that.  I want to hear about YOU, not your business.

Sorry, but  annoying as it is, he can use his FB page for however he sees fit. You're better off just hiding his feed if you don't want to see all of his updates. He doesn't have to create a separate business page.

Exactly.  Which is why I said I hid his feed. 

All of my comments were in reference to my personal philosophy about what I want to see in FB.  Like what I would say if I was discussing it with a third party.  And if the actual person asked me 'hey, did you see the great deal I had on my FB wall', I'd probably start out with a 'No, sorry.'  And if the person pressed me about why not, or why I'm not responding to the posts, then I'd say something similar, like 'I use Facebook for keeping up with friends and family.  So if I see a bunch of ads, I hide them.  I get enough of that in the mail and on TV commercials! (haha) And if I notice that a particular person posts a bunch of business-y things, then I generally hide that person's feed.  I do try to pop over to the person's wall every few weeks to see what's up in his or her personal life though.  Nothing personal...that's just how I use Facebook."

[wyliefool]

My brother had a notice up somewhere on his page--like in the personal info section--about how he doesn't use facebook for games so he blocked all notifications so if he doesn't respond to your request to find your pony [or whatever] then pls don't be offended, it's just not his thing.

I'd say putting up something like than and then hiding everyone who pesters about this stuff is the way to go.

[Harriet Jones]

If it's something inoffensive, I don't mind liking a friend's business page.  I'll hide it if it's not relevant or interesting to me.

One of my FB friends stepped over the line, though.  She added me (without asking) to some group to promote her weightloss MLM.  That's too pushy.

[ladyknight1]

I had some friends who are on the MLM bandwagon send me private messages about liking/sharing/buying and hosting for their pet side business, I declined and ended up blocking them.

FB is very particular about personal pages being used to promote business related subject matter.

I am up to 6 friends promoting/selling Advocare. They are all currently hidden or unfriended.

[melicious]

I'm like you....if you're into something, fine.  But don't use your personal FB page as a marketing tool for your side business.  Create a separate page for that.  I want to hear about YOU, not your business.

Sorry, but  annoying as it is, he can use his FB page for however he sees fit. You're better off just hiding his feed if you don't want to see all of his updates. He doesn't have to create a separate business page.

Exactly.  Which is why I said I hid his feed. 

Sorry. I missed that part. 

[LawGeek]

I'm in a similar situation and I would appreciate some feedback.  A friend of mine has a side business in special effects makeup.  I occasionally help him out, because it's fun and I get to spend time with him and our mutual friends.  But I have made it clear that it is not a particular interest of mine otherwise.  I "liked" his professional page, but not the page of his latest project, and have ignored the constant requests for money for that project.

My husband has expressed zero interest in any of this, never going to a single event, liking any of the pages related to it, and even hiding the friend's personal Facebook feed because he got sick and tired of hearing about it.

This morning this friend crossed a line.  As the project page, whom neither of us have liked, he "tagged" us in a picture asking for money, yet again.  We are not in the picture, nor are we affiliated with this project in any way.  He knows that money is extremely tight for us (as my husband is a student and I have been out of work for a year) and that we are very involved in charities including families being foreclosed on, soup kitchens, and rescue animals.  It kind of irks me that he thinks we should divert some of our limited funds away from these important causes to help him make a special effects movie. 

Am I overreacting, or is tagging someone in a photo crossing a line?  I untagged myself, and it bothers me that my Facebook profile showed that solicitation for such a long time before I logged in and discovered it. My husband is not yet on Facebook, so I have politely asked in the comments that he be untagged, a request that has as yet gone unheeded.

Should I be doing more to tell him his behavior was inappropriate?  I don't want to risk a friendship over this, but it is really bothering me.