Welcome to the weekly round up of posts that you might have missed.
Firstly, an update on the Facebook debacle which only gets worse I am afraid. I know that several of you have been hit by blocked posts that contain links and are still having issues. I can comment, and share posts internally on Facebook but post links are still being blocked.
Disturbingly today that included the link to Debby Gies Sunday Interview which I sent to her in a Direct Message… supposedly private! It was blocked and in bold red told me that it did not meet community standards. I have appealed of course but it does have a warning for us all. Do not disclose private information in a direct message. For example if as they say Facebook is selling our data to health insurance companies, and we mention in a private message about a health issue we have to a friend, and then apply for insurance! Does that sound paranoid? Probably. What about your email address that you send in a message, or your postal address and the dates you will be away on vacation.
I had no illusions about Facebook but they have now embarked on a wholesale censorship programme that is unacceptable. They want you to have a page where they can bombard you with messages to boost your post to thousands of others at a cost. And they want to encourage you to buy from one of their advertisers and when you do, by all accounts you never hear the last of them.
I have friends and family on Facebook and I can at least for the time being share your posts from there. But over the next few weeks as MeWe grows and develops mewe.com/i/sallycronin and the author’s group which now has nearly 50 members https://mewe.com/join/theliterarydivashangout – I will be only using Facebook sparingly to stay in touch and to share others work internally. Eventually, I will be closing my account as I won’t be blackmailed or have any more of my private messages intercepted.
On a brighter note.. I have done the sums and the statistics show that the referrals to the blog is approximately 10%…thankfully most of those who share from Facebook are also contacts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest or other sites that I am a member of such as MeWe. My main concern was for the book promotions that I post for other authors but after two weeks there has been no change to the response which is a relief.
Thank you for all your support and I appreciate all the shares to FB from here in the past, but I have now permanently removed the share button, as I don’t want you to be faced with messages from FB telling you that it is not allowed. They are intimidating and offer not recourse so I am done.
And as an aside.. new users are asked for a photograph before they are allowed to sign up for an account. It can take several days to get back to you. But in the meantime with facial recognition they can have mined a great deal of information about who you are and your history online. Whilst this does mean that the fake generals and other trolls will not be accepted, it also means that they can pick and choose who they admit to the site and if you do not fit their profile as a potential buyer of the advertising that they send your way… who knows where it will lead!
It is now affecting millions of users and you might find this post interesting sourced by Carol Taylor: https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/135476927/posts/1232
On with the posts from the week, and as always I am very grateful to the contributors who spend time and a great deal of effort to write columns and guest articles.
Welcome to Debby Gies March edition of her Travel Column where she shares the first part of her trip and two month vacation in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico.. and the flight did not go as planned!
This week Paul Andruss shares the bulbs that will make your late spring garden abundant with colour.
This week my guest is regular contributor non-fiction author D.G. Kaye, Debby Gies who reveals her contents of her purse, fashion sense, strangest dream and her love (hate) of the vacuum!
This week Silvia Todesco shares a fabulous recipe for oven baked, bacon wrapped cod which has to be a family favourite..
This week we look at the health benefits of honey… and Carol Taylor uses this as an ingredient in some stunning dishes.
A new series looking at ‘One Hit Wonders‘ from the 1950s onwards….this week ‘Lollipop’ by Ronald and Ruby…who were they, were are they now?
My response to Colleen’s Tuesday Poetry Challenge 127 and this week the prompt words are ‘Follow and Lead’…. I have chosen ‘Succeed and Hint’ as my synonyms.
A further look at the rights as laid down by the United Nation that we should all be entitled to, but have an obligation to protect.
It is March 1986 and we drive back from Atlanta in one day.. and attend a BBQ cookout in Conroe Texas, this is my letter home to my parents in the UK.
This week’s Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge by Charli Mills involves a chisel…as a noun or a verb… you will also enjoy Charli’s description of the thaw that is occurring on her finger (or thumb) that reaches out in to Lake Superior- here is my response – The Dancer.
Before you Get Started on your weight loss programme– Managing People, Environment and your expectations
This week Balroop Singh shares her experience of arranged marriages and her own happy relationship.
This week Darlene Foster finds and visits the grave of her great-great-grandmother.
In this post Jennie Fitzkee shares the connections that she was able to make between reading Little House on the Prairie and her own grandfather from a similar era and his experiences of mining.
This week Robbie Cheadle shares a wonderful poem that she wrote on 9th of February 2017 which was her sixteenth Wedding Anniversary…
Sharon Marchisello shares the strategies that her mother employed to make the most of every penny.
Bette Stevens shares a moving poem in tribute to her mother.
New book on the shelves
Author Updates – Reviews
Thank you very much for all your support and I would love to hear from you about any of the posts or if you would like some book promotion. .Have a great week.. thanks Sally.
Great round up, Sally. I read soemthing in the paper yesterday that said Facebook is changing the way it works and intends to encourage (force?) people to use private messaging rather than public posting. It doesn’t make sense to me but I am sure they will have their reasons, which probably won’t be great for FB users.
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They are merging messaging, instagram and whatsapp next year and perhaps it means that Facebook will be phased out. It has become an albatross that cannot be managed.. But since their private messaging is not that private, it would make it even easier to keep track of what you are doing…Glad you enjoyed the week Mary.. we will carry on regardless… hugsxx
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It’s a great roundup, Sally. I read some of the posts but good to see them again here. Here is something about Facebook 10 days ago.
https://www.marketplace.org/2019/03/06/tech/exclusive-look-numbers-showing-users-leaving-facebook-by-the-millions
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Great review, Sally! Very amazing postings the last week. All favorited by me. 🙂 Have a nice Sunday! Michael
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Thank you Michael… hugsx
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Sorry for the late start Sal. Once again thanks for another fab week, and your intro here about FB is a sad one. When you can’t send someone a link in private messaging that’s ugly! And face recognition? No thanks! You know I’m on the same page with you on this issue Sal. I’m not disconnecting yet from there because of contacts I have who are only on fb. And as you know I have the same problems as you on there. Maybe you should put back the share button? Just a thought that maybe if someone else would like to share your posts to FB with the button, they aren’t targeting like we are? But you know I’m with you on this terrible, greedy issue. ❤ xxx
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Thanks Debby but a number of people are getting the blocked message and I don’t want to involve them.. It is gone now and I won’t be replacing. I will stay in touch on my profile and continue as admin for Diva but I want a break from the hassle… ♥
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I tried to share Silvia’s post to FB and got the community standards message I responded that it wasn’t spam and was told it would be reviewed.. No outcome yet xxx
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Thanks Carol and it won’t be I am afraid which is why that FB button is gone.. even sharing manually has the same result.. They are not going to move even if thousands of us complain.. they want it their way not ours.. xxx
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I hear you Sal. I think you and I have been used by FB as the poster gals for example! ❤
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A great week, Sally. Thanks for including me in it. 😊
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Delighted to share John..hugsx
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😊
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Thanks for the info on the new social media group – I signed up today – because I wasn’t sure what everyone was complaining about on Facebook, then yesterday I got TWELVE posts kicked back from he previous two weeks! Maddening!
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They are hitting bloggers in full force now John if they cannot make money from them. The blog hosts are clearly not doing anything to stop them or work on our behalf. However, 75 million bloggers on WordPress alone leaving FB might make a dent. However, thinking long term and the suggestion that they want everyone to move over to Messenger.. makes sense so that if they merge next year with Whatsapp and Instgram it will make it a great deal easier for them.. will make sure we are connected on MeWe… hugsx
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Thanks for the update…frustrating but I will follow your advice and we will all move on!
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“We will survive” hugs
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I have seen the FB issues but so far been unaffected. Now, hitting you–that’s too close to home. I’ve already closed over half of my business FB pages. As a conservative, their censorship has been long-standing and beyond annoying, just didn’t see much of an alternative. Now, maybe I do.
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I think that it being a robot doing the censoring without sense or reason is the biggest insult.. Coupled with having to appeal to justify your existence in their world…xx
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Reblogged this on The Faery Whisperer and commented:
I love Sally Cronin’s blog… Please pay attention to the information about Facebook changes to posting. Also interesting is the intrusion by FB into the messenger. I’m removing the FB share button from my blog today as posts are being deleted in the groups and from messenger chats. ❤
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Thank you for sharing Colleen.. I know that you were ahead of us all with regard to leaving Facebook and the writing is definitely on the wall.. I am going to follow suit once I get in touch with family and close friends…hugs♥
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I think the sites are just now waking up to the spread of fake news. Unfortunately, they can’t tell a good blog from a bad blog so we are all excluded. Everything will go back to chatroom style conversations, I think. Even Twitter wants to get rid of the retweet button and the like button. Be prepared for more craziness. We have the ability to share posts on our blogs and that’s one way to get the word out. ❤
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Oh… sanity in a crazy world…♥
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Facebook is just too big and too powerful. It needs to just go away.
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I think it may find that happening if it frustrates too many people…they don’t care a hoot Penny.
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Excellent articles, Sally. I shared to get the information out about Facebook. ❤
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Thanks Colleen appreciate that…hugs xxx
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Another great colorful week, Sally. Thanks for the info on FB. All the best. Hugs
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Glad you found helpful.. only going to get more complex I feel..hugs
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Reblogged this on All About Writing and more.
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Thank you for sharing Henrietta.. much appreciated.
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U are welcome
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Happy to see my book on your shelf, Sally. Thank you.
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Always a pleasure…
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Thanks again, dear Sally… Hugs & Happy Week! ❤
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Pleasure Bette..♥
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Reblogged this on Retired? No one told me! and commented:
Another fun-filled, fact-filled week from Sally including recipes, health tips, book reviews, beautiful spring flowers and of course a few funnies all of which FB in their infinite wisdom deem to contravene Community Guidelines…Pleeeese…Sally is the kindest most giving person I have had the pleasure to meet unlike all these trolls aka oil rig workers and the like …But FB chooses to pick on easy targets well if we all leave FB I wonder what their figures and stats will look like…
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Thank you very much Carol for fighting my corner. Sometimes knowing when to throw in the towel and stop wasting precious time is necessary. This has sucked up far too much of mine and I know it is not personal but is affecting a great many people who have done nothing wrong. I really appreciate the support and the lovely comment. ♥
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My pleasure I am just going to have a look and see if my review was allowed or not xxx
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Sally, Facebook does snoop disgustingly on private messages. Every single time I have a private conversation with anyone…in one instance this was about how the Mr and I get all our winter fire wood from the beach or our garden, our future son-in-law’s business… well the next day there it was, in the recommended for you nearby, boxes of firewood for sale, 80 quid. Given I never said a word about buying firewood, it was interesting AND but one small example of this breaching of privacy. I could quote you dozens all linked to private messages where no links were exchanged, the discussion was simply about an item.
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I agree Shey.. I mentioned that I had read a book to someone in a message and the next thing I knew there was a recommendation for Amazon for the writer’s other books! That is our world now I am afraid and being online is getting more toxic by the day. Anyway at the moment MeWe is proving to be less intrusive and there are now nearly 50 authors in the group which is great in a couple of weeks and more joining from FB every day as they get blocked from promoting their work. It will take time but once that number grows it will become a strong marketing group. hugs xxx
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Of course it will. Don’t let this get to you. I know that’s hard when you do a lot of good work for everyone, you get this hurtful nonsense and feel like you’ve to justify something you didn’t do wrong. They did. Not you. Those who know you know that. And they know the work you do too xxxxxxxxxx
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Thank you Shey… I will give myself a good talking to…hugs ♥♥
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Not at all Sally. This biz is murder that way and not just with Facebpok. And it’s like a slap in the face when this kind of thing happens, like you have done something wrong when you’ve not. And it is very hurtful. So chin up. xxx
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♥♥
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Wow. I’d heard about some people having trouble with links, but I had no idea it’s gotten this bad. I’ll miss you on Facebook, Sally! xo
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I will still be around for a little while but only to keep in touch as I won’t be posting again to there.. too exhausting have to battle each one.. and since it is not personal but impacting so many now who don’t have pages anymore… I give up.. I have other platforms that as yet are more accommodating… hugsx
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