I’m posting a message I posted on another blog. Catchup time: I’m in the UK, still, working like a busy bee but soon heading to Spain and Portugal for a much needed 10 day break. This is what has rocked my world as of late. I posted it here and am currently trying to take cues on how to communicate with Facebook here.
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I must say, I have had my eyes opened wide, and with great regret. I created a group called PERFORMING SONGWRITERS (UNITED WORLDWIDE), made the colossal error of messaging too many people to invite them to my personal page (in an effort to actually reduce the group postings and give people the choice as to how much info they wanted to receive from me). I was disabled on June 24 after the group had grown to 1500 members in 15 days. Most of my topic posts went with my account, so that left my group gutted of ‘content’. People have been trying to email and help, but have been getting the weirdest messages back saying that they aren’t writing from their FB account email addresses – not true in every case – and FB can’t divulge info – no one was asking them to; merely the request was to reactivate the account.
I am so sickened by this, but I’m also immersed in a business law course right now and have just been informed about the law of contracts and do understand that Facebook has an aim and the aim is a noble one – to reduce spam. It is the reason why I posted my group there in the first place. Because I love the networking capacity of FB. But errors do happen, people do make uninformed mistakes. Without a transparent policy it is hard to keep within the rules. I lived for 11 years in Saudi Arabia where I had to look over my shoulder at times for fear I was doing something that could land me in trouble. I’m sorry that in the free world, I’m discovering myself in this bind. It’s almost felt like an entrapment of sorts – to be cut off from hundreds of very old friends just reconnected with from elementary school, and people who have known me through high school and university. A friend died this year and his Facebook account is a place where people still meet and talk. I can’t access that. Another friend is battling cancer, and I can’t reach the person who had been filling me in about that.
What’s further distressing is the fact that the mainstream media appear not to be able or willing to shed more light on this problem. I have tried to communicate with the BBC and with serious online bloggers particularly those in the music business, and most simply ignore the request for airtime or help as well. I find that perplexing. But it’s been explained to me by some of my group members that they are afraid themselves of being banned by Facebook.
I have read about one man who announced his decision to commit suicide to a Facebook applications programmer, and Facebook then responded pretty quickly. I wonder how many people engage in acts of distress due to the closure of their Facebook accounts…that FB does not know about? For an organization that cares about people, this is somehow skewed to me. Simply respond to queries, if you can, or post the information real people need online. And, yes, go after the hard core spammers.
A good friend of mine who worked at Warner Records said to me a few years ago when I was trying to decide the name of my new 4-year album projected recorded in Saudi Arabia, Canada, and India – but nevertheless a folk-pop thing with world music sprinkled throughout: “Don’t underestimate your audiences.” I went ahead with an Arabic title for the album, one that I knew western audiences would wonder about. The concept of not underestimating audience intelligence has not left me. I find that principle to be true, and wish it could be true for Facebook, too. Then again, we’re the stupids who keep posting while ignoring generic warnings. Perhaps the warnings need to be explicit re. the numbers of clicks. That would have settled my enquiring mind.
My heart is really heavy as I continue to wait this out and hope for the best. It’s been two weeks. It feels like two months. I’ve been reminded of a few things in these past few weeks: get the email addresses of people in your life. Get a life beyond Facebook. Pick up the phone. Get out. Focus on your dreams and realities. The cyber world isn’t heaven.
LL on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/loreleiloveridge
Fanpage on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lorelei-Loveridge-World-Travelling-Songwriter/747540387
Performing Songwriters (United Worldwide) on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110532175707&ref=share
