Facebook on firearms??

[DaveTN]

I find I’m using Facebook more and more, because so much information isn’t on web sites anymore. That doesn’t seem like a good practice to me for a business, but I guess that’s their call.

I guess I could do the research, but someone here probably already knows, and is willing to share their knowledge. I thought I read somewhere that they don’t allow selling firearms on there; even though I guess it’s done?? Do they restrict firearms and ammo discussion?

I don’t have an Instagram account. Am I going to need one of those also?

 

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

https://www.facebook.com/TNGunOwners/

I'm reluctantly kinda just getting into facebook to promote my business. I've heard they secretly discriminate against gun discussion but the groups are out there.

When on facebook I did a search and it didnt autofill the address for TNGunOwners. Discrimination? Maybe.

[Whisper]

2 hours ago, OLDNEWBIE said:

I'm reluctantly kinda just getting into facebook to promote my business. I've heard they secretly discriminate against gun discussion....

You heard wrong.  They openly discriminate against gun discussion and gun-related topics, to the point of deleting posts and shutting down groups without warning.  I am confident this trend will accelerate.

[OLDNEWBIE]

Looks to me like with YouTube they allow just enough to "claim" being unbiased with guns, politics etc. but it's obvious where their core ideology is.

[Guest BHG123]

Glad you asked!  I do TN Carry Permit Classes.  Just today, my FB post to advertise a TN Carry Permit Class was reported as "violent" content.  I hate FB, and would not be on it if it were not for my business.  I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to get out of it, but I do get a decent amount of business from it.

FB will not allow my Business Page to do paid advertisements for ANYTHING, even a totally un-firearm related event.  They just flagged my Business Page, and anything associated with it is "selling firearms".  (BTW, I do not sell firearms with my business.)  The big shut down on advertising came when I "Appealed" their censure decision.  That was the worse thing I could have done.  That gave me the big flag on my business account.

I could go on-and-on, work arounds, trouble with left-wingnut admins, it is a big time suck.  I am wondering if I spent less time trying to figure out how not to be shut down and censured, and more time on a different advertising media, I would be happier and have more time to enjoy the fun parts of my business.

[DaveTN]

1 hour ago, BHG123 said:

FB will not allow my Business Page to do paid advertisements for ANYTHING, even a totally un-firearm related event. 

You mean Facebook won’t let you pay them for ads that advertise your business??

[Guest BHG123]

17 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

You mean Facebook won’t let you pay them for ads that advertise your business??

No matter how hard I try to give them my money (on my business page), they will not take my money and insist that I am either selling firearms (I am not) or encouraging people to buy firearms (maybe a little, if you consider firearms safety training encouragement).

[Defender]

AS everyone said above, they are anti gun.  But i know that a few gun stores do have sites there and do post guns for sale.  I regularly see the Goodlettsvile Gun Store there, but Phillip has posted before that they are regularly hiding his page or taking his posts off, or whatever they do to make people not see them.  I think he posts a copy of his FFL everyday there.  Facebook is a private entity so they can do as they please, but there is talk about regulating them as an utility at times.  MEWE is another competitor of Facebook, but it doesnt have the membership or traction that Facebook has. There are things I like about Facebook, like keeping up with folks at a distance, easily, when it works like its supposed to, but the censorship and constant fiddling with the algorithms to determine who sees what when is frustrating.  I wish there was a no left leaning viable competitor with the same kind of following and all.  Maybe Mewe will get better...

[Trekbike]

6 hours ago, DaveTN said:

 

I don’t have an Instagram account. Am I going to need one of those also?

 

I'm seeing more and more people and businesses using Instagram over FB now.    

[Guest BHG123]

18 minutes ago, Defender said:

AS everyone said above, they are anti gun.  But i know that a few gun stores do have sites there and do post guns for sale.  I regularly see the Goodlettsvile Gun Store there, but Phillip has posted before that they are regularly hiding his page or taking his posts off, or whatever they do to make people not see them.  I think he posts a copy of his FFL everyday there.  Facebook is a private entity so they can do as they please, but there is talk about regulating them as an utility at times.  MEWE is another competitor of Facebook, but it doesnt have the membership or traction that Facebook has. There are things I like about Facebook, like keeping up with folks at a distance, easily, when it works like its supposed to, but the censorship and constant fiddling with the algorithms to determine who sees what when is frustrating.  I wish there was a no left leaning viable competitor with the same kind of following and all.  Maybe Mewe will get better...

FB is not even owned by Americans.  Some of their first venture capitalists were Chinese.  That is interesting, because the Chinese barely let their own people use FB.  It is a huge data collection avenue for countries that do not like us and want to disarm us.  They censure us, and push the leftist disarmament agenda.

Because it is "Free", small businesses, like mine, without a lot of advertising capital, get sucked into it.  Nothing is "Free" on the Internet.  There is a price.

[DaveTN]

I’m not sure how I feel about all this. FOX constantly has stories about how Google and Facebook discriminate against conservatives.

Do we want the government to tell private companies, apps, and forums what they can and can’t allow?

Its legal for you to sell a gun (although you would need an FFL if you were doing it as a business), or sell spots in your training class. But what if they don’t want you doing that on their platform?

We have this forum, GB, GOC, AL. The feds already tell them (and us) what they can and can’t do with firearm sales Do we want the Feds telling them what they can and can’t do with their sites?

[Guest BHG123]

2 hours ago, DaveTN said:

I’m not sure how I feel about all this. FOX constantly has stories about how Google and Facebook discriminate against conservatives.

Do we want the government to tell private companies, apps, and forums what they can and can’t allow?

Its legal for you to sell a gun (although you would need an FFL if you were doing it as a business), or sell spots in your training class. But what if they don’t want you doing that on their platform?

We have this forum, GB, GOC, AL. The feds already tell them (and us) what they can and can’t do with firearm sales Do we want the Feds telling them what they can and can’t do with their sites?

Everyday I risk loosing my business page and clients on FB.  There is a FB backup feature.  I use it, and download that information to my hard drive.  I do not know how easy it would be to re-upload that information to a new business page; I have not tried it yet.  Depending on the infraction, you can put up a replacement page.  But if you are not careful, they could decide to take down your whole identity, personal, business and it all.

A regular website is much safer.   I have not had too many problems getting into Google searches, although, they won't take my money either for paid ads, unless the ads are so stripped of firearms terms, that you barely know what it is I am advertising.

[MacGyver]

If you’re basing business decisions on Facebook traffic, I question whether you might be better off just taking that money and just burning it.  We’ve already got the data showing that they’re purposefully inflating numbers they’re showing advertisers.  

Instagram is owned by Facebook for those who may not know. Like it’s predecessor, it’s a giant time suck.

 

[Murgatroy]

I feel dirty for having neglected TGO in favor of FB... I just followed and all that. Forgive me.

 

[jpx2rk]

I belong to a couple firearm related FB groups, (LEE reloading equipment & a 17HMR group), and they have constant warnings about no selling of firearms within those groups.  Some posts are deleted by the mods or by FB monitors, and it may/may not ever show up again.  Most posts I see are about issues they are having, or their latest purchases like show and tell.

I've posted some rifle cases for sale in the marketplace, got a message on my FB page from "them" that my ad did not meet their guidelines, the pictures were of gun cases only, no firearms pictured, and plainly stated no firearms were included.  I even stated there were numerous other ads exactly like my ad of gun cases only, and they finally relented, but it was a hassle.  

I'm on FB only to keep up with family and friends, etc.,(the social aspect) but I don't do any "research" on anything on FB.  I just google it and then look for websites that I know would be related to what I'm after.  If it's a business, a FB link may/may not show up, and I may click on the link to see what I see, but I would not make a decision on the FB link.  

Sometimes, friends will post something but it does not show up for 1-3 days before I see it, wife says the same thing about her friends, and they DO NOT discuss firearms.  Mostly knitting related projects, and pictures of kittens and puppies.  FB restricts the information in lots of different ways to all members.

[Guest BHG123]

I was doing a little thinking about this small business Facebook dilemma last night. I think Facebook is the best way to reach locals in this area, unfortunately.  It is a constant circus of trying to outmaneuver Facebook for a Facebook crime I never committed.  You see, what I do here in Wears Valley with a firearms simulator (no live ammo, no working guns) is prohibited in foreign countries.  Facebook governs us, according to what is legal or not in Communist countries, read the small print.  I just wish everyday people were aware and would find something else to use to communicate with each other in the States.

Tourism and people outside of the area, Facebook helps, but there are other better ways.

[TomInMN]

1 hour ago, jpx2rk said:

"...They DO NOT discuss firearms.  Mostly knitting related projects, and pictures of kittens and puppies.  FB restricts the information in lots of different ways to all members.

Are you sure? 

The way I heard it, knitting is full auto (something about stitch count bring cyclic rate), puppies are suppressors, and kittens are destructive devices, obviously.

 

Seriously though, just looking at results when I Google stuff, looks like there's a fair amount of firearms discussion on Reddit. I also have the impression that there's some activity on Pinterest, but I might just be remembering that wrong.

[gregintenn]

18 hours ago, BHG123 said:

No matter how hard I try to give them my money (on my business page), they will not take my money and insist that I am either selling firearms (I am not) or encouraging people to buy firearms (maybe a little, if you consider firearms safety training encouragement).

If an entity was pro gun control and intellectually honest, they’d nearly have to be pro gun safety training. That alone ought to tell you what their real objective is.

[Guest BHG123]

One day, I posted a picture of a beautiful Wilson Combat 1911, just to post.  The caption was something like "Mama likey!"  They had someone call my house, pretending to be interested in buying that 1911.  They said I was using "code" for selling a gun and were insistent about buying it.  Told them sorry, it is only a picture of something I would like to have.

I does not matter what I post, whether it is a Carry Permit class, or just a happy picture.  My whole business is flagged as promoting gun sales.  I even did a seminar about NASA at my place for kids.  FB would not let me pay to advertise it.  Nothing to do with guns.  They just completely refuse me paid advertising FOR BEING A GUN OWNER/BUSINESS.

[Defender]

I know all the above about FB restricting gun related stuff, yet I consistently read The Goodlettsville Gun Shops ads for guns on there with videos!  I knwo they jerk him around, but hes thee.

[Garufa]

54 minutes ago, Defender said:

I know all the above about FB restricting gun related stuff, yet I consistently read The Goodlettsville Gun Shops ads for guns on there with videos!  I knwo they jerk him around, but hes thee.

He’s an FFL.

[Defender]

That was my point, they allow it for those, but they mess with them too.

[OLDNEWBIE]

On 10/25/2019 at 4:21 PM, Defender said:

AS everyone said above, they are anti gun.  But i know that a few gun stores do have sites there and do post guns for sale.  I regularly see the Goodlettsvile Gun Store there, but Phillip has posted before that they are regularly hiding his page or taking his posts off, or whatever they do to make people not see them.  I think he posts a copy of his FFL everyday there.  Facebook is a private entity so they can do as they please, but there is talk about regulating them as an utility at times.  MEWE is another competitor of Facebook, but it doesnt have the membership or traction that Facebook has. There are things I like about Facebook, like keeping up with folks at a distance, easily, when it works like its supposed to, but the censorship and constant fiddling with the algorithms to determine who sees what when is frustrating.  I wish there was a no left leaning viable competitor with the same kind of following and all.  Maybe Mewe will get better...

No doubt it's left leaning and thus anti-gun but they are pretty much the default site to be friends, keep in touch, do a little business etc.

Avoiding them lets them win and if your'e a business can make you lose. I'm glad to see all the people out there who post and think as I do. Warms my heart to know some squirmy punks have to sift through all that and try and remove it faster than new content is posted. 

[Defender]

Agree.  I hate the company but still like the product some.  Well enough to keep using it to stay in touch...

[Dirtshooter]

Look I will be the first to admit I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer. I do not and will not do FB. Why doesn't some enterprising computer savvy person design a conservative, gun friendly version that is based in the U.S. with red,white and blue values??