Well, I’ve followed up with Facebook and responded to the code provided by their NCOA mailer.
Now they say, "We reviewed the information you provided and can’t confirm your identity. The third-party service providers that help us with identity confirmation can’t find a match with your information in any of their databases. As an alternative, you could ask another Page admin or ad account advertiser to go through the authorization process and run ads from your Page."
Two reactions: the only “products” I have ever run ads for are my four books and the only place I have paid for such ads is on Facebook! Catch-22.
I could make light of this. Washington DC’s Metro probably would not accept poster ads for my books on subway cars because they don’t accept ads with political relevance. (“Gays in the military” has political relevance.)
This all may change by 2019 as I finally get the novel ready, and also some music. That’s another discussion.
But note the ad suggest having another business interest run ads for its product from my page. Right now, that would not be appropriate for what I do otherwise.
Put all this together: Facebook doesn’t want to promote “advertorials” from parties who don’t have actual products and services to sell and charge for. I can see that this could fit their concern about foreign intervention in US politics, although it also admits the same vulnerability, ironically. But it also fits Nicholas Taleb’s theories about “skin in the game”. It also begs the question “Who gets to be viewed as a journalist”?
But this is quite disturbing. Gradually, tech companies are showing the dis-ease with the idea that individuals (acting on their own outside established non-profits, fund-raising and associated familiar social bureaucracy – indeed, usually “indentarian”) speaker on national issues, possibly like those with grave importance (North Korea’s threats), on their own.
Maybe the advertorial would have been accepted had it been accompanied by an ad for Faraday bags for electronics, or it I sold them on my site. That would make me look like a right-wing survivalist pimp.
Maybe the advertorial would have been accepted had it been accompanied by an ad for Faraday bags for electronics, or it I sold them on my site. That would make me look like a right-wing survivalist pimp.
This sounds like good material for a “Timcast”. And I wish Reid Ewing's lovely short film "It's Free" (2012) were available again. It's never been more relevant.