Why Facebook groups are becoming swamps

Here’s a timeless story for the ages: A while back, Email Players subscriber & my business partner in the software world Troy Broussard was telling me about how one of his client's friends did the “if you like Trump unfriend me!” virtue signal shtick for likes & high-fives on Flakebook. Then that client — who presumably had been for-real friends with said Trump-hater for quite some time — said something like “can’t we put our friendship over politics?” She didn’t even mention Trump. Or even argue with her. She was simply being a class act on an otherwise low class platform like Facebook. The result? A swarm of toxic haters flagged her post so many times she got suspended! Yes, just for being a classy woman. And since her business was tied up in her Facebook group, you can do the math. Luckily, she was able to get her account back. But that should sober up even the most dedicated Facebook fanboy. Anyway, here’s the point: There was a time when I was a huge fan of marketing with Facebook groups. In fact, I had one of the most engaged, rabid, and addictive (according to many of its members) Facebook groups in the marketing world at one time called “elBenbo’s Lair.” People were so addicted to it, and saw so many concurrent threads inside it showing on their main FB timeline, they would mistakenly post things meant just for the group on their main FB timeline accidentally — and oftentimes to their red-faced shame. And getting tossed in Facebook jail was almost a running joke due to all the rapid fire commenting making the platform's algorithm think people were bots. It was such a part of the existence of some of these members, that it had quite a few people PO'd with me when I abruptly shut it down. Point is, Facebook groups can still be profitable. I even did an “Email Players” issue about the psychology behind what I did a while back. And next month I am having a sale on a book about my social media wiles. But Facebook groups are just swamps. And while I am biased, I advise everyone I know who asks me about it to delete their accounts too. Or, at the very least, their Facebook groups and build their own groups on a private platform instead that they can control. There are many reasons for this: One, the utter disregard for your privacy. Anyone willingly using Facebook who has their identity stolen, compromised, or used for nefarious reasons by FB or one of the companies they freely share your info with has nobody to blame but themselves at this point. If that’s you, you’re hereby a willing victim, not an innocent victim… Another (marketing-related) reason: You’re competing with too many people for attention. Unless you have a group where you’re the only thing people care to read, you are competing with all the brain farts, advertising, virtue-signaling grandstanding, chest-pounding, oh-woe-is me whining, irrational hating, goo-roo lying, and desperate posting from thirsty marketers feening for attention. This is especially true if you’re using Facebook for email list building. My opinion: You’re much better off doing what I teach in my “Email Players List Swell” book. It requires no social media presence. But, it can help you (legally & ethically) siphon away the best social media leads, in a round-about kind of way. If you want more info on it, here’s the deal: Until Friday 2/17 at midnight EST it’s discounted $150.00 off the listed price. To get this discount while you can, do this: 1. Go to the URL below 2. Use code THICK-LIST at the checkout 3. Make sure you see the price change before entering your info Here’s the link: [https∶//www.EmailPlayers.com/list]( Ben Settle This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2023 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this email may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Settle, LLC. Click here to [unsubscribe]( Settle, LLC PO Box 1056 Gold Beach Oregon 97444 USA