This is the biggest excuse that most often stops people at the start of their journey…
Often it is either because they live in a small community, which often tends to be judgemental to anyone who can push their comfort zone beyond what people in the community deem acceptable (for them).
Or because they have gone through some traumatic experiences in the past and afraid some people in their Facebook friends list will judge them based on past events and circumstances.
Both cases are very serious, I know as I have been through both. When I started my digital marketing business, a lot of people in the local community saw me still as a waitress in a local restaurant, a job I had to take out of sheer desperation and financial trouble years before.
Yes, there were people who trusted I could help them with my knowledge of digital marketing and tech involved, but I believed they still did not trust that I should be compensated for my work according to my skills, so I underpriced myself drastically for 5 years.
The funniest and saddest memories were to see my clients hiring people who had less understanding or integrity as “expert consultants” just because they had worked from a city office or had appeared on a national radio station…
A side note… Do you see where I am going with it?
Visibility = perception of your authority!
Back to myth busting. The reality is that unless you are like me have been strategically building your visibility and showing up and connected to thousands of people online, NO ONE IS ‘WATCHING” YOU unless they are consistently engaging with your posts.
HERE IS HOW IT WORKS
(and later I will give you a tip on how to block them without being rude)
Facebook only shows your post to people that have been interacting with your posts and any new connections you have just made to encourage that interaction.
If Mary, the ill-wisher, has not liked any of your posts or commented, within weeks she will stop seeing any of them altogether.
There are 2 billion users on Facebook and the algorithm is here to determine what is the most valuable stuff to show you.
”Valuable” factor will be assessed based on your reaction/interaction with content.
The moment you like or comment on any post, Facebook gets a signal that this is the profile/page you are interested in so it will start showing you more of content from that profile/page.
You can make an experiment- go to your friend list and find someone you have not seen in your newsfeed for ages. Go into their profile and like a few of their posts, or leave a comment… It will of course work if that person posts something more than once a month hahaha, but if they do post regularly, you will see their posts in your newsfeed from then on! Guaranteed.
This is why if you follow my content and your comments or even just like my stuff, you see my content all over Facebook.
Not because I am actually everywhere for everyone. But I am for you. You send Facebook signal that you want more of my content.
So the chances are, those who YOU THINK are watching you on Facebook silently, do not even see you at all.
Unless you are the only friend they have
But let me offer you another solution in case you still want to completely exclude them.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOT TO APPEAR RUDE:
If people in question not members of your immediate family (and to me, even if they are) you can do the following.
1. Create a status update (write a post):
“I think I am going to take a break from Facebook. Friends, let’s keep in touch in the real world”.
Make it stand out- add a coloured background or even a selfie waving goodbye!
2. Go into post privacy settings, and select “specific friends” and add anyone you do not want to ever see your posts.
Step 1: Click on the post privacy – next to the time stamp under your name and choose “More” option
Choose “Specific Friends” option
Choose who you want to get rid of and tick their names in the list.
3. Post it and give it a couple of days.
4. On anything you post for the next couple of days, go into privacy settings on the posts and select: “Friends except”: add those people’s names. This will hide any new posts from them.
5. Create a reminder on your phone or calendar to alert you in 3-4 days. Then go to those people you want to exclude profiles and block them.
Just click on the block button and then confirm on the next page.
This will mean they will not see your profile, any of your comments, any of your posts, and all tags of you will appear untagged to them. Like you have closed your profile down, which is what you said you will do!
Then go to your own profile and post something and change the post privacy to public! That’s all! (Keep in mind that every time you change privacy on the post, Facebook remembers it, so do not forget this last step! Your profile must be set on public if you want to create an impact with who YOU are.)
No go and start shining your light.
Fearlessly!
Let me know if this technique is something you have been looking for? Did it stop you from making one more excuse to continue hiding?