Friday, January 16, 2015

Goodbye Facebook

(For those who may be trying to find me) I have deleted my Facebook business page -
My thanks to those who have been kind on my page and supported my small business.
(I shall be continuing with my blog and Pinterest only.)
Niki x

3 comments:

  1. Hi Niki, I hope you don't mind me asking about why you've deleted your Facebook page. I have a facebook business page and I'm always posting but the posts hardly reach anyone and I've been wondering if it's worth the time and effort. I also do a blog, Twitter and Pinterest. Maggie (Daisy Patchwork) xx

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  2. Hi Maggie, Thank you for your comment on my blog...now there’s a question! ;-)
    My reasons for deleting my FB page are many and varied!

    Like you, I feel I spent a lot of time thinking about and posting/interacting on FB and wonder if it really paid-off. I recently closed a bricks and mortar shop, which I used to advertise on my FB business page. With it being closed, I needed to change the name of my page to reflect my on-line shop’s name instead, but FB wouldn’t let me. (And if you’ve ever tried asking FB for help, advice or support, they are likely to ignore you, as I discovered.) I had to start virtually from scratch trying to build up a new following. (I didn’t join FB for the ‘friends’ side of it, it was purely to try and get my small business noticed – I didn’t like that I had to have a personal page as well in order to use it.) Why should FB be able to dictate so much and offer so little freedom to its users? I love doing my blog because I can tailor it to my needs and also give it the look and feel that I feel appropriate – FB is not like that. In fact I take offence that some people chose to post on my page to advertise their own business or service...Yes it’s possible to hide or delete these, but you can’t be there to police your page all of the time...especially if you are a maker and need time to create.

    When I had my physical shop, the people I met were 99% of the time pleasant and friendly. For some strange reason, FB seems to bring out the worst in some people. (In my experience this rarely seems to happen on Blogger.) I’ve had fake orders placed through my FB page – a huge waste of time, not to mention upsetting when those guilty of it obviously don’t appreciate how difficult it is to be self employed and earn a fair wage. I’ve had the odd comment left that has upset me too – Maybe that’s my problem in perhaps not being thick-skinned enough (and I don’t expect everyone to love what I do), but if it’s no longer a part of my life, then it’s no longer going to have an effect.

    After joining FB, I noticed a huge increase in the amount of junk and spam emails I was receiving. The culprits have obviously used my information, which is a little unnerving, not to mention annoying – Who wants an inbox full of rubbish that you have to trawl through to find the relevant emails that you do want to receive?

    It does seem that many of us have become slaves to these media sites and you’re almost seen as peculiar if you don’t socialise in this way. I purely wanted to use FB to showcase my work and hopefully get it noticed by those interested in buying, or visiting my stand at the fairs...I couldn’t afford to pay to advertise on FB, which is what I think they want business owners to do...like you say, you felt your posts weren’t reaching a very wide audience and I suspect that, like me, you weren’t paying to advertise?

    I’ve not regretted closing my presence on FB, in fact I feel quite liberated! I aim to use my time better – Making things, even if no one cares! I enjoy posting on my blog – although I don’t receive many comments, from the feedback I receive from my lovely customers at the fairs, I know my posts are being read and enjoyed. I also use Pinterest, mostly for my own pleasure. I am a visual person (not so good at the written word), so to have this world to escape to when I need inspiration or down-time is rewarding to me. I’ve not experienced any unpleasantness on Pinterest either, and still cannot fathom why FB can be different in this way, particularly when it is so public.

    Sorry if I’ve rambled on – I won’t be letting FB take up any more of my time and I feel the release. ‘Surround yourself with peace, positivity and be happy’...that’s going to be my motto. I love doing what I do and did want to share it, but will be careful in the future ‘where’!

    Wishing you all the best with your business and be happy creating,
    Niki  x

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  3. So many valid and extremely good points made there Niki. I have a new years resolution to limit my time on FB. Like you there are so many things I enjoy doing and need the time to do things.... I have made a fairly good start! x

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Thank you for finding the time to visit me...
Niki xx