Many people find Facebook frustrating. Here are some common reasons they give:

• They don’t want to see the ads.
• They don’t care for some of the posts in their newsfeed.
• They aren’t interested in getting invites to play games.

Here are some ways to address these frustrations.

 

Dealing with Unwanted Ads

• Keep in mind that Facebook is a free service, and the income generated by ads is an revenue stream which allows the service to remain free.
• That said, you always have the option to hide any ad you see. You can also hide all the ads from a particular company.
• To do this, just take your cursor and hover to the far right of the title of the ad. An X will appear and a little box that says About Facebook Ads. You then have the option to hide just that one ad, or all the ads from that company. Select the option you prefer.
• Another option is “About This Ad.” If you choose it, you will be directed to a page that provides more information about ads on Facebook and how you can control the ads you see. Here is a link to that page: https://www.facebook.com/about/ads/

Dealing with Unwanted Facebook Posts

• If you don’t care to see a Facebook friend’s post in your newsfeed, move your cursor to the far right of the white box in which the post is showing. Click on the downward pointing arrow, and you will see several options.
• The first option is “I don’t want to see this.” Clicking on this option removes the comment from your newsfeed. Facebook gives you the option to tell them why you don’t want to see it via a simple survey. But you don’t have to fill it out.
• The second option is to “unfollow” that friend. If you select that option you will no longer see ANY posts by that friend. Be aware that your Facebook friend will not be notified of your decision.
• The third option allows you to complete a survey to modify the content of your Facebook newsfeed.

 

Dealing with Unwanted Game Requests

• If you aren’t a fan of Candy Crush, Mafia Wars, Farmville, or any of the other games that some Facebook users like to play, you can stop receiving invitations to play. These games are apps, and you can block them.
• Start by clicking on the small downward pointing arrow at the far right of the menu bar at the top of your screen.
• A list will show. Click on the “Settings” option.
• Then, on the far left side of your screen, click on “Blocking” and go the section “Block App Invites.”
• Type in the name of the Facebook friend who has been sending you the game invites. Now you will no longer get any game invites from that friend.
• Do this as many times as necessary to block game invitations from all the Facebook friends who send them to you. Again, your friends are not notified of this decision.

 

How About You?

What are your tips for making your Facebook experience more enjoyable? Do you remove ads and/or posts that you find annoying or offensive? How do you handle requests to play games on Facebook?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more comfortable using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.

She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.