Small Business Technology News

Facebook: Not All "Likes" Are The Same

Written by Tim Morral
Published: 9/10/2012

Social media giant Facebook announces plan to aggressively root out "likes" that have been generated by automated tools.

In the social media space, Facebook "likes" have become a priority for brands and businesses attempting to expand their digital footprints. But recently, Facebook released a statement announcing its plan to remove likes that have been generated by malware or other deceptive means.

Fraud Detection for Fake Facebook Likes

In its statement, Facebook called out fraudsters that sell likes in bulk, artificially inflating the influence and following of certain brands online:

"When a page and fan connect on Facebook, we want to ensure that the connection involves a real person interested in hearing from a specific page and engaging with that brand's content. As such, we have recently increased our automated efforts to remove likes on pages that may have been gained by means that violate our Facebook terms. . . . These newly improved automated efforts will remove those likes gained by malware, compromised accounts, deceived users, or purchased bulk likes."

Although it isn't exactly clear how Facebook will screen out automated likes, the news comes at a time when the social media provider is under pressure to stabilize stock value by increasing ad revenues and promoting the integrity of the brand in the online marketplace. If Facebook fails to sufficiently address the automated like problem, it could lead to a loss of market share and further stock declines.

Since knowing how to market a small business on Facebook is rapidly becoming a core business competency, it's important for small business owners to have faith in Facebook's competitive playing field. If the ability to capture large quantities of likes through automated tools and deceptive strategies is allowed to persist, it's unlikely that small business owners will continue to invest time, energy and resources in Facebook marketing campaigns.

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