Computer Support Blog

Do you remember when you could go on Facebook and connect with your friends and illustrate a sense of community over shared interests?  That function is still present on Facebook, but it is increasingly harder to find it with the sheer volume of advertisements on the once simple and cool social network.  With the revelation that five individuals suing Facebook for how “social advertising” was used without their consent or a way to opt out resulted in a $10,000,000 charity donation as settlement the reason you can now opt out of social advertising is pretty clear!  If every person who did not want their “likes” used to advertise products to their friends cost Facebook $2,000,000, Facebook would rapidly become unprofitable.

Facebook existed for years without turning a profit.  It was not until Sheryl Sandberg joined Facebook and effectively convinced Mark Zuckerberg to monetize the site through advertisements that the site became profitable.  Before that, Facebook was just a cool social network.  Now that Facebook is beholden to stockholders, it is inconceivable that the site would ever go back to an ad-less website.  Thanks to lawsuits and new software, you can get your Facebook back to a more user-friendly, less advertisement-focused social network.

First, you can shut down Facebook social advertising links.  Social advertising links are advertisements sent to people on your Friends list when you “like” something.  So, for example, if you “liked” Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Facebook page and Kellogg’s as an advertiser with Facebook, all of your friends would suddenly get an advertisement for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, with a notation on it that YOU like the product.  This benefits advertisers because you have unwittingly become a spokesperson for their product and endorsed the product to all of your friends.  Celebrities get paid for such endorsements and if you are not keen on being used, log into your Facebook account and go to you “Account Settings” page.  On the Account Settings page, click “General,” then “Edit Social Adverts Setting” the next page.  On that next page, there is a box with two options, if you change it to “No one” and click “Save Changes,” your friends will no longer receive social advertising links based upon things you “like!”

Facebook does not want you to experience the site without advertisements. The official word in the Facebook Help Center on opting out of advertisements that appear on your page is that opting out is not possible.  However, what Facebook is not keen to let you know is that advertisement blocking software exists and it is very easy to use.  Google might not be so keen on you using Google Chrome to surf Facebook – after all, they want you on Google+ – but Google would rather you check your Facebook account using Chrome’s most popular add-on than with another browser.  The reason for that is that Google Chrome’s most popular add-on to the web browser is comprehensive ad blocking!

Whether you use Google Chrome or not, finding a good advertisement blocker can restore your Facebook experience to one that is more about you communicating with your friends, as opposed to businesses advertising to you!

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Filed under: business, david milman, facebook, Internet, news, rescuecom