7 Reasons Why I'm NOT Leaving Facebook!!

Be Not Deceived

By Vincenzo M. Landino
[Global Social Agency Strategist at Market Edge | Startup Consultant | Entrepreneur]

I've been seeing a lot of people lately declaring their exit from the social network, Facebook. I thought nothing of it, until recently, a friend of mine wrote this article in regards to why he has decided to leave, and feels all should. His article reached over 13,000 people with hundreds of shares and comments in just over a day. Then I really started thinking, "I don't agree and need to share why."

I don't like to write rebuttals, however, on this topic, I had to add my $0.02.

Forget the FarmVille requests and "chain posts" for the sake of discussing what the network is actually used for when used properly. From the top, here are seven reasons why I won't be leaving Facebook any time soon.

Social Equity: First, you might realize that Facebook is a social tool. If you register on Facebook and fill out your profile with detail, don't be surprised if your relatives, old classmates and other ghosts from the past find you. In fact, they will find you. I've connected with family in Italy that I wouldn't talk to nearly as often without Facebook. I've connected with former classmates that have turned into clients. In fact, those "old" friends and family could turn into your biggest advocates.

Humanize Your (Personal) Brand: I am the single biggest proponent of displaying your brand 24/7. Whether you are working, at the gym, on vacation or on the links, you are always your brand. Over the years, there has been a shift from separating work life and personal life to a more open and blended culture. Its ok to share some vacation photos or that you're at the game. Potential clients want to see someone that is well rounded. This goes without saying, but if you post photos of you downing 20 tequila shots Saturday night and forget to get that report in on Monday morning... you're pretty much up sh*ts creek. I still vouch for being responsible is better than not having it at all.

Syndicate Your Content: Get out from under the rock you're living under if you aren't blogging or creating your own content. With Facebook, you already have an audience that is (hopefully) listening. Get your blog out to those people. You also can stream your Twitter, Flickr, Digg and other accounts into Facebook. It's up to you what you want to share or leave out.

Raise Your Visibility: By consistently posting on Facebook, you are posting relevant information and creating a leadership position for yourself and your business.

Transparency: If you do all the above, you can't avoid transparency. "Transparency" is the business buzzword for the 21st century, and your participation in this arena will create synergy toward that goal for others.

Security Options: As with all social networks, including LinkedIn, you can customize who you want to see your content. You can also turn on a feature that allows you to control posts that are put on your wall, photos you are tagged in and more. Use them! I do, and this is why Facebook doesn't bother me as much as it does others. If there are brands or people I don't want to hear from, I turn them off, mute them or unfollow them.

Don't Fool Yourself: This is probably shocking to many, but, if you think Facebook is the only network that collects your information, your head is in the sand. Every network uses your information in some way, shape or form. Do you use email? Ever notice the "customized" ads? Yea, they're collecting your info too. Do you use Google Chrome? Foursquare? Hell, do you use a smartphone? Do you take pictures on your smartphone? Post them to Instagram? Information about you, geolocation information on your photos, browser cache and cookies (that have been around since the beginning of the internet) are all used to collect information about you. As my nonna always said to me, "quello che non fai, nessuno mai sapere." Translation: What you don't do, no one will ever know. Let that sink in for a second, and apply it to your social (media) life.

I'm a Social Media Strategist. Social media is what I do. The same reasons I chose to pursue a career in social media are the same reasons why I myself won't leave any of the networks I belong to. They are all important in their own way and come together to form a social strategy, be it for business or personal.

Like what you’ve read? Please take the time to share with your LinkedIN contacts, Facebook friends and Twitter followers. Follow and join in the conversation with me on Twitter at @VincenzoLandino.

Resubmitted By: @Wabonty.R

SendEarnings: A Most Heinous Scam Website!!!

Be Not Deceived

I reserve the respect for every individual websites that are into helping the participating public in earning few dollars while on the internet even from the comfort of their homes. It is no doubt a laudable idea that each has taken time and money, with the needs of the individual patronage in mind while setting up their websites, which later would grow into big online companies. I have been on few of those websites and as the saying goes, experience is the best teacher, and so I have my own share of quite a story to tell. Therefore, in spite of what anyone may think or say on the subject, I speak from experience. 
My blog is however not an intention to put any company or organization out of business. Just like any other person who has been robbed of their precious time on the internet while clicking for over a year or more, my blog is to help be the voice of such that fall in such categories. Of which I am chief.
I have signed up with InboxDollars.com for quite a number of years since the introduction of this earning money online by taking Google jobs and all and just reading paid email delivered right into your inbox. I was with this inbox dollars for quite a number of years until I got to realize that despite their initial boost in giving you large amount of money, everything decreased to almost nothing to no paid emails when I had to stop reading any of their email. This did not stop me from searching for a genuine and reliable similar website that would prove my search worthwhile. 
This was the time I came to discover SendEarnings.com while, though similar in their initial reward module, proved to be on point with their paid emails. I have been with them for over a year and more, almost two years now when the hard truth came to light. Just a couple of weeks ago when I got to reach a Gold Member Status, which according to the system, one's earnings must reach at least $30 at which stage only payment is requested. Earnings became real slow when I reached my $26 but that did not discourage me. I began to read posts and blogs to see if I could discover anything fishy about this website that I have given so much of my time, on the internet.
I am well convinced that after all these years with them, generating so much fund for them as I have done, they would have the least human instinct to put themselves in my shoes and send me my meager earnings, no matter what anyone might have experienced with them now or in the past time period.
I have read few posts about them being scam and all that I needed to hear so I could give up on them but I am someone who knew nothing about giving up hopes. For hopes are the type of indulgence I have no time for. Few days after reading my very last blog about the Send Earnings scam where the blogger referred to them as Keep Earnings, I was able to hit my Gold Status. Boohoo!!!! 
I tried to see how requesting payment would be like because recalling vividly, as at the time of my sign up, they used to support paypal and check payment until recently when I discover they no longer do the paypal. So my only option was to request the check. One funny thing is that, at $30 when payment is requested they would deduct $3 and so in all you would be looking at a $27 check sent to you supposedly.
Well I thought that was really meager requesting and receiving in the mail so I decided to try and earn more to at least $40. That evening before I shut my computer down, I went to their help menu and had a Live Chat with a representative just to find out how I can cash the check as this is supposed to be my very first time. I got to find out that any Walmart store could cash this type of check and you can even deposit this check directly into your bank account. So I was a very happy man that night until I had to find out the very next day that my account was cancelled when I logged in that morning.
It happened like magical movie. It was reading in the news that hurricane would come in the morning and you woke up and saw yourself at the tip of Mountain Everest, looking down on the world with no human being around you. Like an impaired vision I saw my check disappear into thin air. I couldn't do anything but smiled and said to myself that I could be dreaming, you know. So I needed somebody to wake me up. I went out to call in a friend who I told about getting my check soon to come be a witness. I jumped right on the help desk and entered a Live Chat with a representative who told me he has escalated my case and so should be expecting email from their Resolution Center. He actually gave me a range of 24 to 48 hour to hear from the management as helping me was out of his jurisdiction. Patiently, I waited.
A number of days passed with no emails from Send Earnings but without a doubt more emails kept flooding my inbox from the advertisers about surveys and all. I simply ignored and deleted the most impending ones. I knew right from that point that my last resort would be here, on my blog.
I got an email from the Resolution Center a day later which I would paste below:

Reference number: LTK12182028119575X Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us. Do not press "reply" to this email address -- we will not receive your response. Please send us a message by Clicking on the following link:  Send Us a Message

Dear Valued Member,
As is stated in our Terms of Membership , it is a violation to list any country in your Member Profile besides the country that you are living in and visiting InboxDollars from. We have found that this account has falsely listed the United States as its country and completed United States-only opportunities, while consistently visiting InboxDollars from outside the United States. As such, this account has been removed.
In case this email does not fully answer your question, or you would like to contact us for any reason, DO NOT reply to this email address -- we will not receive your response. Please send us a message by Clicking on the following link:  Send Us a Message
Sincerely,
Member Services Representative

This was my first response I got from send earnings after my follow up with the representative. As can be seen from the above response, InboxDollars was mentioned, which I have highlighted and some link was mentioned which was supposed to be included but none provided. In sooth, I have checked my account I created with inbox dollars and that account was terminated for lack of activity. That was pretty much understood but the case for which reason I was furious in contacting them, none was provided and telling me that after years of taking survey, my account has to be terminated a day after I reached a stage to request payment. That was fishy for me so I once again contacted customer service and I talked with one of their representative by name David. I mention his name here because I don't want anyone thinking I frame this whole thing up, like I would have used my time judiciously (smiles).
In chat with David this was what we talked about:

Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'David'
Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK12182028265323X
David: Welcome to our live chat service. Please make sure you have added the email addresssupportcenter@cotterweb.net to your email address book and safe list while I read your query/question
David: Hi there
smogllb@gmail.com: Hello David thank you for connecting with me
David: Please let me know your exact concern
David: You're most welcome.
smogllb@gmail.com: I need some issues addressed and I hope you would be of great help
David: Sure,lease let me know your questions
David: Please*
smogllb@gmail.com: You see last week i just reached the gold member status and was planning on requesting payment only to know the next day that my earnings were cleared and account terminated
smogllb@gmail.com: I tried contacting your support system and I was told to hold on for 24 to 48 hours
David: May I have the tt# of that conversation?
smogllb@gmail.com: Reference number: LTK12182028119575X Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us. Do not press "reply" to this email address -- we will not receive your response. Please send us a message by Clicking on the following link: Send Us a Message Dear Valued Member, As is stated in our Terms of Membership , it is a violation to list any country in your Member Profile besides the country that you are living in and visiting InboxDollars from. We have found that this account has falsely listed the United States as its country and completed United States-only opportunities, while consistently visiting InboxDollars from outside the United States. As such, this account has been removed. In case this email does not fully answer your question, or you would like to contact us for any reason, DO NOT reply to this email address -- we will not receive your response. Please send us a message by Clicking on the following link: Send Us a Message Sincerely, Member Services RepresentativeDavid: Thanks
David: One moment please...
smogllb@gmail.com: Now please take a closer look at that email and tell me where is the link that I am supposed to click in case i need further help
David: Yes,you are correct.I am very sorry for the inconvenience .Please let me know what message do you wish to reply with?
smogllb@gmail.com: sorry is all you have to tell me like when that message was sent a link was not supposed to be included?
smogllb@gmail.com: You just to tell me why after all the years i am signed up for this survey thing, you would have to wait until it was time for my payment then issues arise?
David: The link should have been included in that email.It may be due to some errors it was did not get sent.
David: I can pass this issue to our resolution team again
David: Please be informed that accounts are terminated for violating our membership terms.
smogllb@gmail.com: So we going to be doing for all eternity until I got tired and let go of the 27 dollars i guess?
smogllb@gmail.com: My concern is still why I was not informed of any violation up until when it was time for my payment?
David: Any account ,that violates our terms are terminated as soon as we notice it.
smogllb@gmail.com: For your information i would have this blogged if my payment is not given. I don't care what any of you may think or say but I have a very good audience to know about this whole truth. You can see I have all this documented. I am telling you just so you let your employers know.smogllb@gmail.com: AS SOON AS you noticed it and mine has to wait till payment was due, right?
David: I will transfer this to my Supervisor. This is handled through our Second Line Resolution. You will receive a response within 1 business day.
David: Please make sure you have added supportcenter@cotterweb.net to your address book.
smogllb@gmail.com: I have been hearing that every since i started this so you do your job and I will handle mine from here. thank you for making my time with you count.
smogllb@gmail.com: Have a blessed day and watch me blog it all out.
David: I understand you are frustrated, however, I am not authorized to assist further on this topic. I have escalated this issue to my Supervisor. Please allow 1 business day to receive a response.
smogllb@gmail.com: Have a great day.
David: Thank you for your patience!
David: You too
David: Thank you for chatting with me. We welcome your feedback: please make sure the email addresssupportcenter@cotterweb.net is in your safe list, thenclick here to complete our Exit Survey

Chat session has been terminated by the site operator.

Yes that was a lot to read but for the sake of posting a genuine case I need to paste it as is. Usually a response from the Resolution Center takes days to get to me and after talking with David however, I got email from the send earnings  a couple of hours later with this response:

Reference number: LTK12182028265323X Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us. Do not press "reply" to this email address -- we will not receive your response. Please send us a message by Clicking on the following link: Send Us a MessageDear Valued Member,
You are receiving this ticket response in regards to your Chat with us on November 7.To answer your question, to respond to this or any ticket we send you, click on theSend Us a Message link found in that ticket.  To respond to this ticket, you can click on the link right here:   Send Us a MessageIn regards to your inquiry about this account, research has shown this account has been in violation of our Terms of Membership for the full duration of its existence.  If you wanted to address this violation earlier in your Membership, you have been more than welcome to contact us.  However, since you did not contact us to address or resolve this continuing violation, it was addressed at the time it came to our attention, which was on November 1, 2013.  At that time, as was warned in our Terms of Membership, this account was removed.
In case this email does not fully answer your question, or you would like to contact us for any reason, DO NOT reply to this email address -- we will not receive your response. Please send us a message by Clicking on the following link: Send Us a MessageSincerely,
Member Services Representative

    

Now with all these back and forth with send earnings, I know just one place this was all going and I want to give them that before I involve myself any more. This would keep going on for as long as they have no intentions of refunding my account. As such I have no other option but to make my conclusive statement that they are nothing less of a #Grand #Scam website robbing people of their precious time online. If time truly is money, one can imagine how much I have made for this website only for them to rob me back to back of my hard earned dollars and precious time. 
If truly the Department of Justice (#FBI) is genuine in taking down fraud alert websites, I suggest sendearnings.com is the next place to look regardless of how much they must have on their plate now. This would go a long way to help eradicate fraud so as to protect poor innocent people looking for genuine ways to make money with the internet. I have had fair share of my time online and so I am taking the time to send out this as a red alert so that nobody else falls victim of such a scam.

#‎TruthHurts‬ ‪#‎StepBack‬ ‪#‎JumpOff‬ ‪#‎Like‬ ‪#‎Follow‬ ‪#‎Love‬ ‪#‎2014Likes‬ ‪#‎DIY‬ ‪#‎FIRE‬ #2014Likes ‪#‎Realness‬ ‪#‎RealTalk‬ ‪#‎1A‬ ‪#‎LookinAssNiggas‬ ‪#‎LookinAssBitches‬ #GOD #POEM