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Greetings Family,
It's your friendly neighborhood "Digital Drummer" again...smile
By way of full and fair disclosure, let me state that recently my Jim Neusom, FaceBook account was permanently terminated... But I'm not a hater! As an online social activist (see MySpace From A Social Activist Perspective, on www.blackwebportal.com/wire/AuthorContent.cfm?PartnerID=57), I write about my experiences on the Web, so that others may learn of the benefits, and avoid the pit falls, of this brave new world called the Information Superhighway.
Now back to the subject at hand. If you Google, Facebook complaints, you'll find millions, who are upset with FaceBook's policies and procedures. It is definitely a walled garden, harking back to the early days of Apple and AOL. FaceBook is about FaceBook, and if you're not paying, -you don't get to play. But wait a minute you say, FaceBook is a FREE social networking site---what do you mean by Pay-to-Play?
If you've followed any of my post, you know that I'm an advocate for Net Neutrality legislation. Net Neutrality is the basic concept that Internet users have the right to access the legal content they want; run the applications they want; connect to the devices they want; regardless of the ISP, content provider (think FaceBook), or digital platform (see Net Neutrality And You, on www.afromerica.com/columns/neusom)
FaceBook violates the principals of Net Neutrality from just about any way you look at it---Privacy, Access, Content--you name it. They claim to be a free and open social networking community that helps people connect and share with the people in your life". NOT, if you simply do nothing more then follow their written company statement (see www.facebook.com/facebook). Millions of people use FaceBook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet. You Will Be Terminated!!!
Facebook routinely terminates users for, excessive use of FaceBook features and applications such as uploading photos, sharing links, and sending too many messages to people they meet on Facebook. The only way around FaceBook's terms of service (TOS) is to set up a fan page and pay for advertizing. And even then, whether you're an official pay-per-click advertiser, FaceBook developer, political/charity organization Blogger, they can terminate you at any time for any reason!
If you follow their friendly suggestions, such as poke a friend, invite them to join your Mafia Mob, or respond to a "Friend Suggestion"- that FACEBOOK sent you (based on your private activity and associations), they will terminate you with no recourse and/or explanation. Facebook shuts down accounts of users who are exhibiting ANY behavior it finds remotely suspicious. As paradoxical as it sounds, "suspicious" often means just using the site too much! Sometimes they warn people and give them the chance to change their behavior, and sometimes the account termination is sudden and permanent.
Facebook remains intentionally vague about what "bad behavior" looks like, and so it's no wonder that people get confused, angry or despondent when they get the ACCOUNT DISABLED message. To help people avoid having their accounts disabled, Thor Muller of www.GetSatisfaction.com (a great site to vent on) listed the most common reasons why people report having their accounts abruptly turned off.
Keep in mind, that this list is almost surely incomplete, and until Facebook changes their policy to embrace more transparency and two-way communication we'll have to live with a bit of uncertainty when using Facebook. FaceBook, like MySpace, BlackPlanet, Ning, and other responsible, social networking sites should adhere to the basic principles of Net Neutrality, and allow the end user to be the finial arbitrator, as to when someone is abusing their friendship. It's called delete em.
Remember, We Must Share The Knowledge (Network)... To Share The Dollars!!!
13 Reasons Your FaceBook Account Will Be Disabled
By Thor Muller
http://getsatisfaction.com/facebook/topics/13_reasons_your_facebook_account_will_be_disabled
**Editors Note** (Make sure you visit the link above to read the full explanations and visitor commentary)
1. You didn't use your real name
2. You joined too many groups
3. You posted too many messages on a wall or in a group
4. You posted in too many groups, too many user's walls
5. You friended too many people
6. Your school/organization affiliation is doubtful
7. You're poking too many people
8. For advertising your app on wall posts
9. Using duplicate text in multiple messages
10. You are a cow, dog, or library
11. You are under eighteen years old
12. You wrote offensive content
13. You scraped information off Facebook
You have been warned. Remember that the hand of justice is swift and merciless.
