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Interestingly, Facebook is planning to update its site governance documents, more specifically the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Currently, the site has posted a proposed update to its policies. And there’s an interesting addition to the section on Registration and Account Security.
The current Registration and Account Security section mentions nothing about status updates. The new version, though, has added this statement:
You will not use your personal profile for your own commercial gain (such as selling your status update to an advertiser).
That is some vague language there. I own my business, which ostensibly is for my own commercial gain. So if in my status I mention my business, or ask for referrals, or mention a project that earns me money, will Facebook restrict my account or even ban me?
It sounds like they want me to agree to that. The new terminology is so vague, in fact, that just about anything could be construed as a violation. I have ads on my personal site. And I post links to my new posts, telling my friends what’s going on with my family. Putting that in my status update and having people click over could technically earn me a few cents. Will the new document be stretched to include that?
Probably not, but there’s nothing there to really stop it either.
I don’t personally know any people who would sell their update to an advertiser. But if they did? I could ignore them or remove them from my friends if I were so inclined. That’s my choice.
Is Facebook doing this to encourage people to separate their personal accounts from business activity? Is that fair? Who should decide that? My business is small and I see no need to create a company account or fan page. It’s not needed. I am my business. Is it okay for Facebook to tell me how to do things? It is their site after all.
What are your thoughts? Does this update concern you? Could it affect your ability to market your business on Facebook?
image: lumaxart.com
I’m not yet sure why they decided to include this new piece. I agree that it would be hard to prove the selling, and that’s much better left to users to police anyway. And really, why does FB care? Because they’re not getting a cut of ad revenue?
Very interesting. The terminology is a bit vague. I’m glad that ‘status updates’ are no longer automated thru an application that belongs to some company wanting users to spam their friends without them knowing..
However you can still grant applications access to publish things on your behalf, so this new terminology should fight that. The bottom line is that Facebook cannot prove if you are selling. That has to be determined by the user’s friends. So they need to put in a ‘spam’ like feature or ‘report’ now so it can be examined on a case by case basis.
I guess stating that they are not allowing this makes them look good legally. It’s the same as not transferring your account to another person to use without letting them know first – which no one would do and facebook would never know. its legalese.
Also isn’t this what social commerce is about? recommending and promoting the right businesses/products/brands/places to eat to your friends?????