So, Social Fixer does a LOT to fix Facebook.

Starting by defaulting back to ‘most recent posts from the people you follow.’ The algorithm was showing incredible amounts of crap, and apparently thinks that I am a damned Communist in the bargain (or at least enjoys the idea of orcas eating rich people*), and that was starting to seriously piss me off. Social Fixer isn’t perfect – I will have to go to my group pages (including my own) to post things – but I can live with the next configuration.

Guess I’m not too old yet, after all.

Moe Lane

*I do not. I like orcas, you see. I would thus find it regrettable to have to exterminate an entire pre-sapient species because they have developed a taste for human meat.

Been working on my Facebook Author Page.

Because if I don’t, who will? Feel free to take a look, and tell me what it needs. I took some advice offered because it sounded sensible (basically boiled down to ‘make it look like you actually care about how it looks’), but further input would be welcome. Aside from everything else, I need somewhere to put the logo*.

Moe Lane

*I have been told, in multiple occasions, that it’s better to use my own hobbit-like visage for images than a company logo. I can’t quite understand why this would be, but the advice is too varied and repetitive to let me not take it seriously.

So, I tried a Facebook Ad for the Kickstarter.

I am… not convinced that it did a single blessed thing for me. Now, getting a link on Skin Horse on Sunday? That lit things up for the TINSEL RAIN Kickstarter. I am not sure if the problems I have with Facebook ads (or Amazon ads, for that matter) are because of the ads, or me – but I’m pretty sure that they are problems; and I don’t really know how to fix them. I’ve looked up possible solutions, but they invariably involve me buying some service that will magically make everything awesome. Yeah, I don’t believe that one either. And double yeah: I can see where the money’s being made there.

Ach, well, it could be worse. Plenty of self-published writers out there would love to have my situation, I know. I should be more grateful about it.

Quote of the Day, Facebook Does Not Lack For Chutzpah edition.

This is not the Quote of the Day:

[Facebook] unveiled an ambitious plan Tuesday to create a new digital currency similar to Bitcoin for global use, one that could drive more e-commerce on its services and boost ads on its platforms.

This is:

Facebook claims it will keep your personal data separate from your financial information when you use their new cryptocurrency, and holy crap I managed to type all that without my eyes rolling out of my head


Continue reading Quote of the Day, Facebook Does Not Lack For Chutzpah edition.

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Facebook planning to double-dip monetizing other people’s content.

Saw this, ironically, on Facebook:

Facebook will drive a hard bargain with influencers and artists judging by the terms of service for the social network’s Patreon-like Fan Subscriptions feature that lets people pay a monthly fee for access to a creator’s exclusive content. The policy document attained by TechCrunch shows Facebook plans to take up to a 30 percent cut of subscription revenue minus fees, compared to 5 percent by Patreon, 30 percent by YouTube, which covers fees and 50 percent by Twitch.

Continue reading Facebook planning to double-dip monetizing other people’s content.

Is Facebook really going to autorun videos with sound?

It’s not happening to me, yet. Or maybe it did happen to me, months ago — and then I screamed, button-mashed my way into settings, turned that feature off, then carefully suppressed my memories of the experience in order to keep the trauma from eating my soul.  It’s hard to tell; either way, I’d be still feeling this faint mix of nausea and horror. Auto-sound does not make it easier to enjoy video, Facebook. Quite the opposite, really.

I mean: really, Facebook?  REALLY? Who told you that this was a good idea?

Jeez, my Facebook page is AWFUL. As in, I am apparently doing Facebook wrong.

I mean, it’s almost as if I haven’t touched it in several years and didn’t know what the heck I was doing when I did maintain it. The feed is unreadable, I don’t know half the people on it, I’m not sure how to read anybody else’s stuff in a meaningful and sensible way, and apparently people can get upset if you post blog posts on your feed. I’m half-considering deleting the whole thing: not out of pique, but because I can’t figure out how to untangle it, so just junking the account then starting over seems, well, easier.

But I’m guessing that would be bad.  Anybody got any suggestions?