Author Topic: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff  (Read 12475 times)

Petuniajo

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acroy

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2016, 11:20:58 AM »
(get new friends)

Zikoris

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2016, 12:05:51 PM »
The "unfollow" feature is one of the most useful things Facebook has come up with. You can take advantage of the useful parts of Facebook, like event planning, while filtering out the garbage.

I think I would purposely not buy MLM stuff from friends so as not to encourage them. I think it's in their best interests to crash and burn as fast as possible before they commit too much time and money to those things. So I'd be helping them technically :)

Petuniajo

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2016, 12:15:51 PM »
The "unfollow" feature is one of the most useful things Facebook has come up with. You can take advantage of the useful parts of Facebook, like event planning, while filtering out the garbage.

I think I would purposely not buy MLM stuff from friends so as not to encourage them. I think it's in their best interests to crash and burn as fast as possible before they commit too much time and money to those things. So I'd be helping them technically :)

Ha! I love your idea of help.

What bums me out is when friends don't separate their "business" from their personal accounts. I have a few friends/family that I really DO want to see pictures of their kids, hear about what's going on in their lives, etc. But when I unfollow those who have started posting so much sales junk, I don't get to see those updates.

sol

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #4 on: March 07, 2016, 12:34:21 PM »
(get new friends)

(stop using facebook)

LeRainDrop

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #5 on: March 07, 2016, 05:57:31 PM »
What bums me out is when friends don't separate their "business" from their personal accounts. I have a few friends/family that I really DO want to see pictures of their kids, hear about what's going on in their lives, etc. But when I unfollow those who have started posting so much sales junk, I don't get to see those updates.

I have the exact same dilemma -- good friends from whom I enjoy seeing their personal updates and photos, but hate seeing their advertisements.  I actually was just on facebook and saw that one of my former co-workers, a really nice lady who was fired in December for poor performance and no improvement despite coaching over a couple years, has just become a "wellness advocate" for one of the essential oils companies.  Makes me sad because she probably really needs a job, but instead she's always on facebook and now starting up this go-nowhere business :-(

nnls

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #6 on: March 07, 2016, 06:08:37 PM »
It was written by someone who works for MLM company "Field Dermatologist" for a makeup company I haven't heard of, but she is willing to coach new people to be successful

MgoSam

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #7 on: March 07, 2016, 06:19:54 PM »
(get new friends)

(stop using facebook)
DO ALL OF THE THINGS!!!!

MgoSam

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #8 on: March 07, 2016, 06:35:27 PM »
Ugg, I just a FB request from someone that appears to go to my church, but I don't recall having met. I looked at her page and see post after post of products that she's likely selling. DELETE REQUEST.

justajane

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #9 on: March 07, 2016, 06:41:48 PM »
Not surprisingly, I saw already saw this article posted on my FB feed by a friend who sells Jamberry nail wraps. I haven't hidden her yet, mainly because I am fascinated by MLM culture. It's bizarro world.

Travis

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #10 on: March 07, 2016, 09:43:00 PM »
"How to set fire to all your relationships in 5 easy steps: My journey as an MLM purveyor."  I smell a self help book. Maybe even a screenplay.

Every time MLM comes up around here I'm reminded of a case study posted here last year about a company helping someone with a series of fundraisers and their advice continued to double down on begging friends to the point of burning every bridge possible to squeeze another nickel from them.
« Last Edit: March 08, 2016, 09:24:03 PM by Travis »

woopwoop

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #11 on: March 07, 2016, 10:09:51 PM »
You're just jealous that you haven't hopped on the bandwagon. Why not try it out? What harm could it do?*


*besides waste thousands of dollars and poison your relationships with family and friends

gimp

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #12 on: March 08, 2016, 02:07:00 AM »
Yeah, this post is definitely a brag, but it's amusing and maybe some of you can relate.

I've seen ads for MLMs that go something like this: "Quit your job, set your own hours, be your own boss, even earn $10,000 a month*** (note: maybe)!"

Me: "So... take a pay cut?"

Fishindude

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #13 on: March 08, 2016, 06:31:01 AM »
I'll take the for sales stuff, over having to read all of their political views.

Apples

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #14 on: March 08, 2016, 08:53:23 AM »
Did anyone else click over to the article and laugh at the picture?  Johnny Depp's face is hilarious. I just laughed out loud at my desk...good thing no one else is here at the moment bahahahaha.

Ooooh and this line:
Quote
Who knows, maybe you will even like the products better than what you are using!? I mean, we’d ALL rather the profits go to our FRIENDS than to some behemoth corporation so they can pay million dollar bonuses to the C-suite, right?

I mean really?!?  Because MLM's aren't pretty much doing the same thing.  Your friend gets not-very-much-over-wholesale-cost for them, and sends the rest on up along the chain to do the SAME THING...pay the large salaries of the people running the joint.

They also skim over how people trust friend recommendations and not "Retail Rita" at the store, but that friends could recommend the store brand, not just the MLM brand.

I agree with Justajane above, MLM culture is fascinating, and something I don't think I'll ever understand.
« Last Edit: March 08, 2016, 09:01:07 AM by Apples »

lizzzi

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #15 on: March 08, 2016, 08:58:03 AM »
Yet one more reason why I'm not on Fakebook. Along with acquaintances' computer game scores, relatives' political rants, and shout-outs from people I have nothing against, but have not seen in 30 years and see no reason to start now. If somebody wants me to see a photo of their family, attach it to an email or...be still my heart...send me a hardcopy in an envelope with postage stamp through the U.S.P.S.

cats

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #16 on: March 09, 2016, 03:08:55 AM »
Anytime I've looked at what my "friends" are selling, it's either something I'm 100% not interested in (e.g. diet pills...I mean "supplements"), or it costs quite a bit more than than the non-MLM version of the product.  Like, I know several people who are beachbody coaches but I'm not going to support them by paying $100+ a month for protein powder and a vitamin pill when I can buy a satisfactory version of that for <$50/month!

The other thing I hate is how cagey some of them are about what they are selling. A friend from HS tried to recruit me for a "business opportunity", but she wouldn't tell me what was involved or what the product was!! I know from her posts that she sells some kind of diet crap ("carb blockers", wtf), but she wouldn't come out and say that's what it was.  So weird!

MgoSam

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #17 on: March 09, 2016, 09:23:36 PM »
I have to add that while it's easy to mock someone for participating in MLM (I know I do), we can't forget that they are people that are trying to do something to make money.

No Name Guy

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #18 on: March 09, 2016, 11:08:04 PM »
This is starting to work on all the effing political posts, so it may work on mlm crap as well:  Hide em all, period.  Don't unfollow the person, just hide every last MLM post.  The FB algos learn you don't want the crap so they feed less of it to you.  Go through your news feed and hide every last one, and do it every time. 

Ymmv of course.

coolistdude

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #19 on: March 11, 2016, 01:55:48 PM »
This is starting to work on all the effing political posts, so it may work on mlm crap as well:  Hide em all, period.  Don't unfollow the person, just hide every last MLM post.  The FB algos learn you don't want the crap so they feed less of it to you.  Go through your news feed and hide every last one, and do it every time. 

Ymmv of course.

This election has attracted so much FB activity. I don't care that X has a nice suit, is a drop out, a Socialist. I don't care what previously "unbiased sources" are pushing (looking at you The Onion, Learn Liberty and others).

I like the idea of blocking each post to effect FB algos. To submit a counter point, I'm softer on people who show products they create on Etsy. That may be personal bias, or that products are far more unique. I don't hate MLM products, I just dislike the amount of profit fat in the price, and the complicated purchase procedure.

mm1970

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #20 on: March 14, 2016, 12:36:27 PM »
Yes, I don't really know what to say.

I try to hide things, but then of course, it's all personal preference.  I have a lot of friends who are beach body coaches.  I don't hide them, because, well, I'm into fitness.  So I may scroll past them quickly, but every once in awhile, they post a gem quote or meme that's good, motivating, funny, whatever.

I ignore the essential oils one, though they are getting tedious.

I got tired of the skincare lines, so I starting hiding those - I kept getting added to their "groups".

But now my cousin is selling books.  I've been ignoring her posts instead of leaving the group outright.  I feel a little sorry for her - she was working as a teacher and the Catholic school she worked at fired her and two other teachers without cause, when she was 7 months pregnant.  She's a SAHM now (baby is less than a year), and picking up work writing resumes and such.  I think this is just another way to make some cash and it's BOOKS!

But my toddler gets free books from Dolly Parton's program, and my 10 year old borrows books from the school library and buys them at the book fair.  I'm the wrong person to ask!  But today she sent me a private message.

I think MLMs really prey on people.  I know some people are successful, but it does require you to hit up your friends and relatives.

Because I know so many damn beach body coaches, my FB feed is full of photos of their cruise, going on RIGHT NOW.  I guess if you have enough "business" for the year, you earn a free cruise (but note, not free airfare.  So I know local people who had to buy 2-5 plane tickets from CA to FL to get there, plus a couple of nights in a hotel.  Personally a cruise sounds like hell to me.)

LiveLean

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #21 on: March 14, 2016, 07:26:18 PM »
I co-authored a book with a guy and suggested we print postcards to promote the book. Hand them out at trade shows, integrate them in our various business endeavors, etc. He tore me a new one at the suggestion, said he'd never get involved in such shameless marketing.

Today his wife is heavily involved in MLM and touts it non-stop on Facebook, tagging him on everything. And he even sings her praises for all of the money she's allegedly earning the family.

My rule with MLM is that, if you're a friend, I will tolerate you pitching me once. But if after you've heard my firm rejection and you pitch me again, I go Kevin O'Leary. You're dead to me.

LeRainDrop

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #22 on: March 14, 2016, 08:15:31 PM »
Today I saw this one in my feed:
Quote
Hi Friends!
Would you mind participating in this little poll? It's very helpful for me and my business! I'd really appreciate your feedback. Thanks so much! All you have to do is put your color heart in the comments below. If you're not comfortable commenting below feel free to send me a private message!
💛I already have a Nerium business
❤I have been thinking about ordering Nerium
💚I'm not interested but I love your posts
💙I'm thinking about starting my own Nerium business
💜I'd love to sign up but I'm worried I won't do as well as "everyone else is"
💘I'd love if you'd send me more info
💓I just love being a loyal customer
💔I would love to start but am worried about the cost
Thank you!

Of the 12 responses, 10 were, "I already have a Nerium business," and 2 were, "I just love being a loyal customer."

sol

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #23 on: March 14, 2016, 08:32:26 PM »
Today I saw this one in my feed:
Quote
Hi Friends!
Would you mind participating in this little poll? It's very helpful for me and my business! I'd really appreciate your feedback. Thanks so much! All you have to do is put your color heart in the comments below. If you're not comfortable commenting below feel free to send me a private message!
💛I already have a Nerium business
❤I have been thinking about ordering Nerium
💚I'm not interested but I love your posts
💙I'm thinking about starting my own Nerium business
💜I'd love to sign up but I'm worried I won't do as well as "everyone else is"
💘I'd love if you'd send me more info
💓I just love being a loyal customer
💔I would love to start but am worried about the cost
Thank you!

Of the 12 responses, 10 were, "I already have a Nerium business," and 2 were, "I just love being a loyal customer."

What color is the little heart for "fuck off"?

Vanguards and Lentils

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #24 on: March 14, 2016, 09:02:05 PM »
I need to follow this thread because it's too funny. No one on my fb does MLM as far as I know, but maybe we're just not at that age yet.

LeRainDrop

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #25 on: March 14, 2016, 10:02:13 PM »
Today I saw this one in my feed:
Quote
Hi Friends!
Would you mind participating in this little poll? It's very helpful for me and my business! I'd really appreciate your feedback. Thanks so much! All you have to do is put your color heart in the comments below. If you're not comfortable commenting below feel free to send me a private message!
💛I already have a Nerium business
❤I have been thinking about ordering Nerium
💚I'm not interested but I love your posts
💙I'm thinking about starting my own Nerium business
💜I'd love to sign up but I'm worried I won't do as well as "everyone else is"
💘I'd love if you'd send me more info
💓I just love being a loyal customer
💔I would love to start but am worried about the cost
Thank you!

Of the 12 responses, 10 were, "I already have a Nerium business," and 2 were, "I just love being a loyal customer."

What color is the little heart for "fuck off"?

Her other 1,076 friends and I couldn't find it so we just didn't comment :-)  Also, one more comment for "I already have a Nerium business" has been added since my earlier post here.

Papa Mustache

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #26 on: April 07, 2016, 07:53:46 AM »
Yet one more reason why I'm not on Fakebook. Along with acquaintances' computer game scores, relatives' political rants, and shout-outs from people I have nothing against, but have not seen in 30 years and see no reason to start now. If somebody wants me to see a photo of their family, attach it to an email or...be still my heart...send me a hardcopy in an envelope with postage stamp through the U.S.P.S.

THIS!!! I wish I could enjoy Facebook but I don't. Its a shame that folks don't interact more without the dang thing.

When I was trying Facebook years ago it was eye-opening to see which friends and family were closet politicos and evangelists. Also painful to watch that occasionaly friend or family self-destruction by bad decisions - "look what I bought" (when you know they are having trouble making their budget work) or MLM or whatever.

Papa Mustache

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #27 on: April 07, 2016, 07:59:42 AM »
Yes, I don't really know what to say.

I try to hide things, but then of course, it's all personal preference.  I have a lot of friends who are beach body coaches.  I don't hide them, because, well, I'm into fitness.  So I may scroll past them quickly, but every once in awhile, they post a gem quote or meme that's good, motivating, funny, whatever.

I ignore the essential oils one, though they are getting tedious.

I got tired of the skincare lines, so I starting hiding those - I kept getting added to their "groups".

But now my cousin is selling books.  I've been ignoring her posts instead of leaving the group outright.  I feel a little sorry for her - she was working as a teacher and the Catholic school she worked at fired her and two other teachers without cause, when she was 7 months pregnant.  She's a SAHM now (baby is less than a year), and picking up work writing resumes and such.  I think this is just another way to make some cash and it's BOOKS!

But my toddler gets free books from Dolly Parton's program, and my 10 year old borrows books from the school library and buys them at the book fair.  I'm the wrong person to ask!  But today she sent me a private message.

I think MLMs really prey on people.  I know some people are successful, but it does require you to hit up your friends and relatives.

Because I know so many damn beach body coaches, my FB feed is full of photos of their cruise, going on RIGHT NOW.  I guess if you have enough "business" for the year, you earn a free cruise (but note, not free airfare.  So I know local people who had to buy 2-5 plane tickets from CA to FL to get there, plus a couple of nights in a hotel.  Personally a cruise sounds like hell to me.)

I took a cruise years ago. I think the big ships would be like vacationing at a big floating mall. A smaller ship without the crowds was nice in the 1980s when I went. Glad there are places for people who like Disney parks and mega-cruise ships.

It keeps the mtns and the beaches between the cities emptier for the rest of us.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #28 on: April 07, 2016, 09:31:06 AM »

I took a cruise years ago. I think the big ships would be like vacationing at a big floating mall. A smaller ship without the crowds was nice in the 1980s when I went. Glad there are places for people who like Disney parks and mega-cruise ships.

It keeps the mtns and the beaches between the cities emptier for the rest of us.

Agreed. I took one cruise, a couple years ago, on a smaller ship. Overall it reminded me of being on the secure side of an airport, except with extra nausea. There was nowhere to move around, nowhere to exercise except in a cramped gym with filthy windows (you weren't allowed to jog on the promenade), and everywhere you went there were constant loudspeaker announcements about how you should buy this, that, or the other thing. Meals took two hours apiece, the food was cold and greasy (I actually lost weight during the 7-day cruise despite not being able to exercise), and there were shrieking rug rats everywhere during mealtimes. Unless you wanted to sit and watch someone else do something, there was bugger-all to do. Alaska was great, but I hated the cruise ship and am never going on one again.

infogoon

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #29 on: April 07, 2016, 11:03:02 AM »
When I was trying Facebook years ago it was eye-opening to see which friends and family were closet politicos and evangelists.

Facebook is the most efficient way to find things you hate about people you like.

Roboturner

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #30 on: April 07, 2016, 11:07:38 AM »


What friends?

MgoSam

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #31 on: April 07, 2016, 12:07:49 PM »

I took a cruise years ago. I think the big ships would be like vacationing at a big floating mall. A smaller ship without the crowds was nice in the 1980s when I went. Glad there are places for people who like Disney parks and mega-cruise ships.

It keeps the mtns and the beaches between the cities emptier for the rest of us.

Agreed. I took one cruise, a couple years ago, on a smaller ship. Overall it reminded me of being on the secure side of an airport, except with extra nausea. There was nowhere to move around, nowhere to exercise except in a cramped gym with filthy windows (you weren't allowed to jog on the promenade), and everywhere you went there were constant loudspeaker announcements about how you should buy this, that, or the other thing. Meals took two hours apiece, the food was cold and greasy (I actually lost weight during the 7-day cruise despite not being able to exercise), and there were shrieking rug rats everywhere during mealtimes. Unless you wanted to sit and watch someone else do something, there was bugger-all to do. Alaska was great, but I hated the cruise ship and am never going on one again.

That's close to the experience I had. My last cruise was as a sophomore in high school with my family. So I was with a bunch of adults and my siblings and cousins, all of whom were 25+. I hated it! I can't pin my entire experience purely on the cruise, it didn't help that I wanted to do my own thing but kept being told to stay with family because it was a "reunion," which meant hanging out with the old people because my brother and cousins were off drinking and I wasn't allowed to drink at the time. Then I got told off by everyone for not having fun. It was moments like this that made me realize how little my family understands me.

I would be interested to go on a cruise again, but only if I'm going with friends or a gf.

No Name Guy

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Re: What to do when your Facebook feed is full of friends selling stuff
« Reply #32 on: April 07, 2016, 12:50:32 PM »
More than starting to work, it's worked.

It took a week, perhaps 10 days, of hiding every last political post that had Bern/Tump/Hillary/Cruz mentioned even in passing.  At the start, I sat down at a desktop computer, went back through the news feed and hid everyone I could find for about 10 minutes.  I was getting 3-5 a day from my clueless "friends" who posted this sh*t (hello....don't give a fuck)....now, I barely get one every few days....and I hide that as well.

So, as stupid as FB algo's are, they can be taught.

This is starting to work on all the effing political posts, so it may work on mlm crap as well:  Hide em all, period.  Don't unfollow the person, just hide every last MLM post.  The FB algos learn you don't want the crap so they feed less of it to you.  Go through your news feed and hide every last one, and do it every time. 

Ymmv of course.