Facebook Bans Recruiter

ATLANTA, GA -- Earlier this week I read about Robert Scoble getting over the hump regarding Facebook, so I decided to spend more quality time with the application.  As I mentioned in my Scoble post, I have seen some smart people blog favorably about Facebook, so as a marketing recruiter I figured I had better get on board the Facebook Train.

After signing up in mid-July, my profile just sat there while connection invitations from personal friends trickled in.  By yesterday afternoon, I had a whopping 23 friends.  Not enough for a really friendly guy like me -- especially since Scoble had said that "Facebook is the modern day Rolodex.  It is the replacement for the business card."

Then last night, I realized that I could invite my entire personal Gmail email list to join my network.  In all fairness to Facebook, there are 4600 people on my Gmail list.  However, since there is no limit to the number of LinkedIn connections a LinkedIn member can have, I figured it was the same with Facebook.  Mo users is mo betta for a pre-IPO company, right?

Busted for speeding on an unmarked highway.

Everyone knows that the value of any network grows exponentially with the number of nodes on it -- and Facebook's push-button interface encouraged me to import my contacts not already on their system.  Moreover, I don't remember seeing a Facebook warning not to exceed "X" number of invites.

To the contrary, my entire Gmail address book was inhaled into Facebook's robust platform in about 20 seconds.  It even served up photos of hundreds of my contacts who were already members.

So I teed up my 4600 email addresses in the Facebook invitation application, and >BLAM!!<  Off goes my mass invitation.  Call me krazy, but again:  Given Facebook's 30 million active users, more than 50% of whom return daily, I'm thinking "Facebook is the new Rolodex."  And there is nothing in Facebook's UI to disabuse me of this notion or limit my actions.  Two minutes later I get the following email from Facebook ...

Hi,

Your account has been disabled for persistent (my bold) misuse of the site.  Please contact disabled@facebook.com for more information.

The Facebook Team

D'oh!  Kicked to the Curb!  So I respond ...

On 8/1/07, Harry Joiner wrote:

Hi there.

I am a new Facebook member, and I was learning your application and I realized I could invite my Gmail list to join (all 4600 of them).  So I did.  Did I do something wrong?

I thought that's what I was supposed to do.

Kind regards,
Harry Joiner
EcommerceRecruiter.com
Ph. (678) 795-0900

Developing ...

 

UPDATE:  Here's a great post on the 13 ways to get banned by Facebook.

Comments

[Matt]

[[FACEBOOK UNION]]

I’ve heard this idea before. Who thinks there should be some sort of Facebook Union?

Essentially, it’s just like any other type of union. If one of us gets banned unfairly, we all stop using the site. They have to listen to the masses…

Many of us here are highly influential individuals, and we should all agree on the following:
1) Convicted individuals need a way to plead for their innocence and individuals who are not in violation of any rules should have restored accounts.
2) All rules should be stated clearly on the site, and non-damaging first-time violations of rules that are not made clear should be dealt with through a warning.

I’m going to be creating a Gmail account and all who are interested in becoming part of the Facebook Union can email me at facebookunion@gmail.com

All will be valued here.

[Steve Leggett]

This is the email thread which got me banned - apparently for messaging my friends too frequently:

Facebook has limits in place to prevent behavior that others may find annoying or abusive. These limits restrict the rate at which you can use certain features on the site, including sending messages. If you have received a warning or been blocked from using one of these features, Facebook has determined that you were going too fast.

These blocks can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Unfortunately, we cannot lift the block for you. When you are allowed to resume using this feature, please proceed with caution to avoid reaching the limit again. Please be aware that the threshold at which you are warned is not a specific number, but rather determined by different factors (such as speed, time, and quantity). For security reasons, we are unable to provide additional information about this system. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Thanks for your understanding,"

to which I replied:

"All well and good I guess except I don't believe that anybody I sent a message to (however quickly or frequently) actually complained about it. Plenty of people complain about the endless drivel sent via funwall such as chain mails promising bad luck if one refuses to send them on. They also complain about applications which require you to pester 20 of your friends before they will even work. I believe elsewhere they call it 'spamming'. Despite this, these features are still prevalent on Facebook.

I will of course make sure I use my messages more sparingly in future but I do think Facebook could work a little harder on the REAL annoyances of the site rather than concentrating on consenting friends who message each other too frequently!"

Then they banned me!

[emmett dunn]

i was just wondering why i cannot sign up for facebook every time i try it tells me that my e-mail adress has been disabled and i was wondering why??...thank you

[Bryan Smart]

When will I get my Facebook Site because I got blocked for adding too many friends? How long do I have to wait to get my site back?

[Juan]

Did anyone come up with a facebook fax number?

[Michael Monck]

Well I got banned from Facebook! I tried to log in to my account at the end of September only to be greeted with a message saying I had violated Facebook terms and conditions. The message contained a link to some information which stated, "We do not allow users to send unsolicited or harassing messages to people they don’t know, and we remove posts that advertise a product, service, website, or opportunity." To be fair I did send some unsolicited emails to a few people in response to some wall posts they had written in some groups that I was a member of. It was a handful of messages to people who expressed opinions similar to mine and they were one offs. But here's the thing, Facebook did allow me to do it. In fact they encouraged it.

On each wall post there is a link (unless the user has explicitly disabled it) saying "Message". I clicked the link and sent a message, that's all I did! It seems to me that Facebook is enticing people to break the rules. If they didn't want me to send the message then why facilitate it? Likewise when you click a person, even if you're not their friend, there is a link to message them. I am at a loss as to why they would implicitly encourage this behaviour and then ban someone for it.

Ok, you might argue that the link in the profile is there to enable you to send a message and find out whether Joe Bloggs is indeed the long lost friend you went to school with. But when you invite someone to be your friend you can write a message there. Furthermore if it isn't the Joe Bloggs you thought it was they can simply say no to your invite. So there is no need for the messaging link to be there. I can only conclude that Facebook is tempting you to disobey so they can unleash the wrath of over zealous administrators who can ban you at their whim.

Anyway, after realising I was banned I sent a message to Facebook. A few days later (that's right, days) I get a stern message back saying I was banned for my messaging misdemeanour and the decision was final. To top things off they finished the message with, "Thanks for your understanding". What understanding? I am completely confused. I did something you want me to do (why else would you put the link there?) and you banned me for it. If I got a bit excited and sent a few too many messages why not tell me. Better still why not give me a heads up as to what they consider too many to be to start with? To my knowledge there is no published and explicit limit to the number of messages you can send. I asked about this and Facebook is yet to get back to me.

Here's a thought Facebook. Why not have a 'penalty box' system? If someone breaches your non-explicit rules then disable messaging for a period or ban them for a month. If they offend again when the functionality is re-enabled then enforce a ban. At least then they have had some sort of warning and, god forbid, they might have a better feel for what Facebook considers as acceptable limits. In the meantime I will sit back and watch as countless others run around trying to score a goal while Facebook refuses to tell them where the goal posts are.

[sat sandhu]

I just got kicked off facebook cause they seem to think i send too many outgoing messages...all to friends...I've had time off from work and it was a handy way to chat with people online and make plans...but obviously they have a number in mind when it comes too sending messages...what it is no one seems to know...not even the [people] at FB. I have appealed and will post the results.

[Harry Joiner]

Tricia,

My thoughts exactly. I'm not pissed at FB -- although I was amazed at how swiftly and decisively they kicked me off the system.

My money is very green, and I'm only too happy to give it to platforms that accommodate my kind.

I didn't mean to break the rules. Indeed, if FB had been the least bit explicit as to what their rules are, I would have obeyed -- and paid.

I'm sure we can patch things up. But it's a good thing that I have low friends in high places in the blogosphere.

I'd hate to be a faceless, workaday person and have this kind of a run in with Facebook.

So far, they seem fairly hard to deal with.

To whit: Not a single FB executive has weighed in on this issue despite the traction this seems to be getting in the blogosphere.

Go figure.

Harry

[Tricia Padgett]

1.Your experiment has proven to the world (ours and others) that FB is hardly the modern day Rolex that LinkedIn is.

2. To the comment that FB and MS are for kids - get a clue. The average age on MS is 35 and the average member on FB is college student. Obviously there are reasons why a recruiter would want to be familiar with both platforms.

3. My guess is FB will realize their mistake (ignorance is a curable disease) and create a module for effective recruiting opportunities on the platform. It continues to amaze me that in today's economy, social networking sites haven't done more to create forums for career networking...

[Eric]

Harry, all this stuff about facebook is very interesting. I have never used it and never will. What I know of that site appears to be targeted at teenagers and kids.

I use LinkedIn exclusively as my professional social network. I use it extensively for a few reasons that go beyond just simple connectivity.

I use it to research business and professional subjects where I need information that is beyond my network.

I use it to test my ideas amongst a professional group of similar people. (linkedIn Answers)

I use it to research information for my business blog.

I also have used it to connect other people who HAVE gotten jobs as a result of the contact.

LinkedIn is for Business. Facebook and MySpace are for kids.

[Harry Joiner]

I do not remember what my message said. I'm sure it was not that blatant. With a company name like "Ecommerce Recruiter.com" people know what my business is.

Honestly, this whole thing is what Steven Covey calls a "mistake of the head vs. a mistake of the heart."

I was not out to hurt anyone -- and if FB's platform had simply informed me that I was in violation of their policy, I would not have hit the SEND button.

I have no ax to grind with FB, and I am hopeful that I can get reinstated.

My point in raising the issue at all is that ALL of us who use these platforms are at risk of being nuked if, for whatever reason, the community landlord deems that we are doing something counter to what THEY believe is morally right.

[Bob]

Would you care to share with the rest of us the text of the message that you sent to your 4600 contacts?

I read the note that FB sent to you:

"Hi Harry,

Your account has been disabled because you have violated Facebook's Terms of Use. Abusing the features of the site to spam other people is not permitted.

In addition, it is a violation of our Terms of Use to use one's account for advertising or promotional puroses. I'm sorry,
but you will no longer be able to use Facebook. This decision is final.

Thanks for your understanding,

Anthony
Customer Support Representative
Facebook"

What I'm wondering is what they felt was "use of one's account for advertising or promotional purposes."

Did you email some sort of text in yoru invite to connect with you on Facebook that could have been construed as "promoting" your services, and that could have thereby been viewed or reported as spam? If this was the case then your action might have actually been a violation of their policy against spam.

I got a warning for sending 12 messages promoting a job that I had linked to in my FB message.

Bob
Jobmatchbox.com

[Dave Mendoza]

Gee AJ ... maybe I missed the sarcasm but that was a rather rude comment. I would have done the exact same thing that Harry did. I personally don't get the magic that is facebook but even if I did, Linkedin has been my platform and that is enough of a job to manage, believe me. There are now an abundance of different social networking sites and I get pounded for invites. I think 3 is max for casual users and one dedicated site for cross reference.

I personally believe in liberty, and to cap the number of invites is beyond lame.

Harry this was a terrific post.

[Lewis Green]

Harry,

Geez! A warning would have been nice and inline with good customer service. I can see their concerns regarding SPAM. But I can't understand why Facebook cannot distinquish between SPAM and your private distribution list.

[AJ]

What the hell were you thinking?

"Everyone knows that the value of any network grows exponentially with the number of nodes on it"

No it doesn't. It turns into a spam-chucking engine, eventually causing people to move onto a new platform where they haven't yet been added as a "friend" by some dimwit who collects business cards.

In case you're not too sharp, let me clarify that you're the dimwit I'm referring to for not realising that what you've done was a brain-poundingly stupid thing to do.

[Stephen]

Hi Harry

You just cant do right for doing wrong.

Just thought I would say thanks for the warning, mind you I have not really got into this facebook thing yet.

Nice blog by the way

[Elaine Fogel]

Harry, what a bummer. It's bad enough that they kicked you off, but to wait so long for customer service is ridiculous. My suggestion is to send the CEO an urgent fax. Sometimes, the old-fashioned methods of communication get more attention. (That's if you can locate a fax number for them.)

[Julia Bradley]

Hello Harry,

You might be interested to know that Ziggs will allow you to instantly import Gmail contacts...and there is no limit. We will not ban you for trying either.

Ziggs is an online professional community for connecting people and their information...professionally. At Ziggs you can import and organize your network, invite your network to join you, create groups to network with, and create an online professional profile to represent yourself on the Web. It's all free. It's worth a look. Ziggs has served the professional networking community from its start.

Julia