GARYTALK.COM – Facebook is ramping up it’s efforts to respond to the real threat to the United States democratic process this country’s intelligence agencies are warning about. The social media giant’s members were inundated with disinformation, misinformation and other campaigns meant to steer voters’ choices at the 2016 ballot box. There is fear that the persuasiveness of highly suspect untrue details being spread like wildfire by, sometimes, unsuspecting users via the Facebook Friends “sharing” posts to one another, may affect upcoming elections. Facebook has introduced at least one wrung in it’s plan to get voter truth back into the election system by turning off one possible avenue of misinformation. Let me explain.
I posted this in my personal Facebook status today: Just a Note to tell you about the latest attempt at FACEBOOK trying to do it’s part to police the truly Fake News from sources attempting to glut the Facebook accounts with lies about political candidates. In trying to stop the flow of inaccurate information from outside Facebook, Facebook has, effective August 1, 2018, instituted a policy of no longer allowing the use of platforms like Hootsuite.com to directly feed into Personal Profile Accounts from the Hootsuite or other, similar platforms.
I understand how the new, blanket policy affecting information fed into the system from outside platforms like Hootsuite, will probably lessen the made up stories consisting of lies reaching Facebook Friends through “shares” of the so-called “news” from real, fake news outlets. However, in doing so, the blanket new rule hurts people like me, who has never fed anything inaccurate, misleading, unlawful, slanderous, or harmful to political candidates into my personal profile account or the Facebook “News Feed” to my FB Friends.
The new Facebook rule, described above, may help stem the tide of unscrupulous attempts by some people, groups, organizations, or outside governments, hoping to persuade voters, but, it hampers furthering the needs of those innocent, retired persons like myself. When I use the platform at Hootsuite, for example, I have done so while spreading the positive word about websites outside of Facebook that I provide content to, and/or, maintain as a webmaster during my, low-income, retirement years.
The new Facebook policy, governing, how outside platforms may feed information, photos and videos into Facebook accounts, only affects what is fed into personal profile accounts that make their way into the so-called “News Feed” to Facebook Friends, and might be further spread through the system by “shares”. However, it may help slow the input and proliferation of untrue political news, but, the new policy doesn’t affect using the outside platforms to feed info into “Pages”, such as those operated to further businesses, organizations and other entities, including fan pages, etc.
This all means that I can continue to publicize my efforts to promote the websites I operate, write for, or other services to, through the “Pages” I have set up on Facebook for these websites, but, not use the outside platform to directly feed info into my personal profile Facebook account. Everyone else using the outside platforms is also affected by the new blanket Facebook policy, effective the first of this month. So, this change is not aimed at, purposely hindering, or making things difficult for me, personally.
I’m not whining to you about this Facebook change, just filling you in on why you may not receive some of the updates (if you’re my Facebook Friend) as often about what I’m up to during my daily endeavors to remain a useful, productive, existence during retirement years from my careers in broadcasting, newspaper, and treks into the business world, etc. If this change in Facebook policy stops or slows down the flow of misleading influences, resulting in what turns out to be bad voter choices in the next and subsequent elections, the adjustment will be worth it.
If you would like to again, regularly receive the feeds about the websites I operate, or to which I provide content to, you can “Like” and “Follow” the corresponding “Pages” on Facebook whch I also maintain on behalf of the websites. Those “Pages” include Clik2Go, WiscReport, McStreamy, USWebDaily, Advermagic, GreatGoldHits, ClassicHitOldies, GreatGoldMusic. I, in particular, would be happy to have you “Like” and follow these “Pages” on Facebook. I’ll continue to provide the feeds about the websites to those “Pages”, using the Hootsuite platform. If you haven’t “Liked” these “Pages” before, you’re encouraged to do so now. Thanks.
In addition to a bunch of leads about Real news stories and information and photos about birthdays of music stars whose songs are heard at http://GreatGold.fm Internet Radio, here’s an example of what you’ll be missing that I’ll continue to feed to my “Pages” through the Hootsuite platform, but not my “Personal Profile” account:
The below is what was being relayed to my Facebook “Pages” via my paid Hootsuite account at the Hootsuite service on the day mentioned at the start of this article.
“SUMMERTIME SUNSHINE TIME continues for one more month at GreatGold Internet Radio. PLUS, August Born singers and musicians are getting Extra Plays ’til the end of the month. Listen in the player at http://GreatGold.fm, or at Radionomy directory or the Mobile Radionomy App.” (That text was accompanied by an attached photo.)
GaryWords by GabbyGary at Garytalk.com
