Last Updated on August 26, 2024 by Jan Barley
The danger of not owning your contemt. It’s a shock when a social media platform bans your account, but today was a bit of a surprise
So, here I was, happily creating content on Substack for eight months, gaining subscribers and thinking I was doing a jolly good job.
Today, I wrote a new article. I logged into my account and discovered that the platform banned both publications for “spamming & phishing.” I checked the terms of publishing, and under that offence, it included adding people to a subscriber list who hadn’t opted in.
WTAF!
Anyhow, I am innocent of anything they had decided I had done. I have appealed, but I understand it can be a lengthy process. Even if they remove the ban, I’m not sure I want to continue. It spoiled my Sunday morning.
I sat in the garden with a cup of coffee and thought about what had happened. I had over 40 newsletters and had worked hard to provide value. Still, it means nothing because I do not own my content.
I thought Substack was different.
The problem is the same with all social media platforms. They can decide on a whim to ban your account. TikTok is notorious for this, as are Facebook and even LinkedIn.
I was almost at the point of taking down my Wolfheart website. It was the site I created as an SEO writer working with clients. It no longer seemed appropriate as I stepped away from that service late in 2023. However, after this debacle, I deleted all the content and revamped the site for my digital marketing, mindset, and manifestation content previously posted on Substack.
I’ve done an about-turn I never expected to do. I didn’t want to maintain and pay for a website. I have a done-for-me website for my digital business, and I wasn’t keen on adding to my workflow.
Today’s event was a wake-up call. Even though creating content on social media platforms relies on them playing nice, I had hoped to avoid any issues by following the rules and guidelines. Sadly, being a good girl hasn’t worked.
June 2024 Pinterest Suspended My Account
After three months of building my Pinterest account, I opened the app one morning to see a big red button saying “ACCOUNT DEACTIVATED”.
I received an automated email and the reason was supposedly “spam”.
I’d scheduled two pins a day that week.
Having read Pinterest community guidelines, my error may have been one of two things –
- I added a couple of shortlinks
- I had one URL that was a forwarder
I didn’t realise both these things are against community guidelines (I’d suggest you read and digest)
I made four appeals to Pinterest without success. All you get it bot responses saying they have reviewed your account and decided not to reactive.
I had 8.9k monthly views and was getting engagement.
In July, I opened a new account and started afresh.
It’s bloody heartbreaking!
I only post to my blog content now and am VERY careful.
Still, the point is, these draconian methods put you in a vulnerable position. These platforms are unforgiving. Instead of reaching out to say “hey, Jan, you made a mistake, Put it right. Read the guidelines and we’ll talk no more about it” you’re out!
This post is a short but sweet reminder not to put all your eggs in one basket and to remember that these platforms can pull the plug on you any time they choose.
