Facebook Initiates Proper Advertisement Strategies and Sets New Posting Policies

On Monday, the social networking company announced that it would revamp some of its policies concerning the content being uploaded and posted on pages and groups that are supported by ads. Facebook Inc. is set on removing ads on pages that exhibit violence and abuse, and are sexually suggestive after a wake-up call from activist group Women, Action, and the Media. The company already rolled out the new policy of removing all advertisements from controversial pages.

Basic essential

Facebook is considered an essential part of a connected person’s day to day activities. Statistics show that 1.1 billion people access their Facebook accounts in a month. This is not at all surprising because the site has become a very accessible venue for people to share current personal events. However, with the increasing number of users of this social networking site, it has become very hard to monitor the content being posted in real time. As a consequence some page owners with bad intentions are able to successfully post inappropriate and offensive material.

Women’s group against Facebook

Facebook Inc. faced criticism and protest for allowing the existence of a specific page that posted photos and statements targeting women in a very offensive manner. The page even directly encouraged violence against women, which prompted a group of concerned individuals to launch a campaign prompting advertisers to boycott Facebook. This eventually ended with Facebook Inc. temporarily losing advertisers and gaining an unsightly dent to its reputation and online image.

Soraya Chemaly, leader of a women’s group in Washington, suggested that the #1 social networking site in the world today should give more training to staff members who monitor the contents of pages and groups that Facebook is hosting. Chemaly added that they are keen on working with the company to set up policies and train their employees on how to properly monitor online content.

The appropriate solution

Because of the issue concerning controversial pages, Facebook implemented a new policy specifically designed to strike out advertisements on pages that exhibit inappropriate content. The company stated that it would conduct a full review of its existing guidelines and conduct training for employees in order to prevent this kind of abuse from happening again. Facebook Inc. also expressed its intention to maintain a good working relationship with women’s groups recognizing that women today are very easy targets of abuse and violence online.

Positive outcomes

Various women’s activists groups initiated protests against Facebook’s inability to restrict ads abusive pages. They were able to convince regular advertisers of the social networking platform such as Nissan and Zipcar to pull out their ads in support of their cause. Facebook’s immediate response to resolve the issue pleased both Nissan and Zipcar who both pledged continued patronage.

Facebook executives admit that so much more needs to be done in terms of monitoring advertisements on pages and groups with controversial contents. Preventive steps, precautionary measures, and momentary solutions are not enough. For Facebook this is only the beginning of a long and lasting campaign to maintain integrity and remain vigilant in hosting non-prejudiced and non-abusive content.

Photo Credit: Facebook logo