Internet Community Elistism...Can't we all just connect?

I find myself at a difficult junction on the internet highway these days. Social networking sites promise friendship and meaningful connections, but have the right to disable your account for being too involved online or over-posting. Now I realize many people feel over-posting is nothing short of spam, but I am inclined to disagree...it all depends on the quality of the post, not the quantity. Recently my facebook account was disabled on facebook. I am still awaiting their final decision to see if this decision is permanent or not. I do not claim complete innocence in the matter, but I also do not feel disabling my account was the correct punishment for my crime. Facebook offers people a chance to connect with people all over the world. They provide an online coffee house where you can make new friends or simply re-connect with old ones. Here is where my situation gets hairy. These days I have scads of free time; I am a stay at home mom of a 7 month old baby girl. The choice to not re-enter the work force was entirely my own. I figured it would be better for everyone involved financially and holistically if I were to stay home and raise my only child. This was a bold move especially in these economic times. I stand by my decision and have therefore re-channeled some of my energy to money-making endeavors at home. This quest of mine has led me to a frugal lifestyle which centers around the almighty coupon! I have since saved money and made some as well. Along with my facebook page was a fan page I created called Central Coupon Services. I used this site to write about deals and FREEs I happen to find and to promote my coupon store. There was no need to buy anything from me to participate in my fan page and reap the benefits of my coupon mania. I set out to to befriend other coupon fans on facebook utilizing this page to network...the very premise of the website. I now find myself without a facebook personal page and without a fan page. The bummer of it all is i enjoyed facebooking.

Now you could be reading this and think all I did was push my fan page...untrue. I used facebook to keep my insanity at bay. Staying at home with no one but baby Olivia to keep me company can get lonely. Sure she is amazing...but I also crave real human interaction. Facebook provided that for me. Many of the new connections I made on facebook were happy to befriend a like minded couponer and enjoyed the opportunity to truly connect with me. I do not feel that those receiving friend requests from me regarded me as spam. After my account was disabled I did some research and found many others were also permantly deleted from facebook for reasons they themselves did not understand. I am not trying to demonize facebook, I am simply asking them to re-evaluate their policies. Active users who frequent facebook should not be punished for being social, which is not always the case, but again not all high volume posters are spammers. Sure my life will go on if this decision is permanent, but I fail to see how banning me from their site forever is fair practice. Which again is absolutely their right...I guess what I am trying to say is that this SUCKS!

I have also found other sites to be equally guilty of this practice. I went on two coupon forums (which shall go unnamed because even bad PR is still PR and they do not deserve it) and was automatically banned from one forever for spamming. What did I do? Exactly what the site was promoting. These sites are forums dedicated to coupons...a medium I have lots of experience with. One section was a place to brag about your coupon scores and I did just that. I wrote all about my coupon scores here on hubpages because I greatly enjoy this site...it gives me the format I want and the ability to link to my pictures and other hubs with the greatest of ease. I posted my coupon scores and a link to the corresponding hub and was BANNED for spamming. I do not know if the administrators bothered to look at my link, but if they had they would know that I am not spamming. I am doing exactly what they were encouraging me to do, but because I posted a link I am automatically regarded as spam. I took a look at their terms and also found out you are not allowed to link to competing coupon sites. To me this is ludicrous! Connecting to other coupon sites is a great way to network...especially in the small world of couponing. The more we connect the better off we all are! I am baffled and do not understand. They seem to be saying come and join, but only under these specific conditions that do not allow any networking that isn't directly on their site.

I say connect! It would be much easier if we were allowed to go from networking site to networking site via links and forums...that is the point after all. Even these social sites are so concerned with making money that they lose the spirit of the site in the first place. Rules are in place for a good reason and I respect that...but they need to be drafted with everyone in mind. Clearly one rigid set of rules is not the best policy. Websites designed with social networking in mind should take internet addicts like me into account since we tend to drive these types of websites. Another fact worth mentioning from my facebook saga is the advertisements I paid for on facebook in an attempt to comply with their policies. I was not happy about paying, but figured I should do the right thing and pay for the priveledge of advertising on such a large network. Apparently I was not paying enough to keep my account enabled...I was only paying roughly $1 per day.

In conclusion...my internet life sucks. I am hoping facebook will re-activate my account, but who knows? The only discernable lesson I learned from all this was the unforgiving nature these websites have. I mean really...banning me FOREVER? How arrogant...your site will certainly not last that long. All that being sad...what do you think? I encourage you to voice your opinions here...I won't block you. Good or bad...I would love to hear from you...especially those of you who have had similar experiences. It is always good to know that even in banishment...we are not alone. Question, comments, and concerns are also welcome. Also, feel free to repost this hub...especially on facebook...lol.

If you are interested in my coupon mania check out these hubs on my savings and personal experience with coupons...read content that got me banned from three different sites!

Or come check me out on ebay and get your coupon on.

All this for $0.77! Read me!

All this for under $7! Read me!

All this for $0.75! Read me!

Stock up on Groceries and Save! Read Me!

Mentos Gum Mania! Read Me!

My related hubs not about personal savings...What is Coupon Fraud? What is a Reward Buck?