Is Blocking People On Social Media Acceptable?

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Blocking people right after they become your friend on social media…is it acceptable?
(watch the video…or scroll below to read the transcript)

 

Hi, I’m Rob Anspach, come join me as I share with you this interesting information about social media and about friends. In real life our friends come and go. And usually when we have a friend they don’t come up to us and say “Hey Rob, do you want to buy my product? Do want to take a test drive? Do you want to…” and they just don’t do that. They are friends with you…they shake your hands, they have a conversation, they go to the movies…it’s all about winning over your trust and friendship.

But on social media it’s a little different. The other day, I accepted a friend on LinkedIn and about 10 minutes later I get an email saying “Hey, I subscribed you to my newsletter, I thought you really like it and we just became friends on LinkedIn“…WHAT? NO! Just because I friend request you or accept you as a friend doesn’t mean I want marketing or anything else from you. At least not until I get to know you.

I have a group page on Facebook called “The Business Dojo“. And, I put a lot of time and effort into that page helping people understand the dynamics of being a better entrepreneur. A lot of it is quotes, memes and motivational stuff. I get requests everyday from people wanting to join the group. And I have to look at them very carefully. I don’t accept everyone to this group because I’ve discovered that certain people when they join a group all they want to do is spam, spam, spam. They want to put their marketing message out there. Their specials, or their links, or their PDF’s or their special reports. That’s not how you win trust. I usually warn them and if they do it again I delete and block them.

So yes, you can delete and block friends. Is it acceptable? Oh yeah!

Here’s the thing… if you don’t monitor who those people are they will continue to do so. They will continue to hit you up with their marketing message. And sometimes you just have to delete them because they are not really a good fit for you or for anyone else following you.

The other day on Snapchat someone knew requested a friendship to follow me. And I thought “okay, it’s snapchat…it’s new and I need followers“. I guess they didn’t like what I posted and they flipped me the bird (they sent me a picture of themselves flipping me the bird). I thought, “really, what did I do that crossed the line“? So, I blocked them.

You need to block that negativity off your channels, your LinkedIn, your Snapchat, your Twitter and your Facebook and group pages. You need to insure you have a safe…not really a safe…a relatively better experience using social media. You get enough negativity in the real world, why do you want to harbor that in social media.

This is Rob Anspach, hope you found this helpful. And yes, it is okay to de-friend, delete and block people on social media.

If you’ve deleted, blocked or unfriended people leave me a comment and let me know how you went about doing it. Talk to you later.

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Rob Anspach is affectionately known as “Mr. Sarcasm” to his friends. To everyone else, he’s a Certified Digital Marketing Strategist, Authority Amplification Expert, Best-Selling Author, Podcaster, Speaker, and Publisher who helps entrepreneurs, experts, and organizations expand their influence, credibility, and legacy.

With more than 25 years of experience building brands and positioning leaders as industry authorities, Rob specializes in authority marketing, storytelling strategy, and digital visibility. He is known for helping experts move beyond simply being known… and become respected, trusted, and remembered.

Rob has authored, co-authored, or produced 60+ books covering topics such as social media marketing, podcasting, copywriting, personal injury law, military law, entrepreneurship, customer experience, life lessons, scams, sarcasm-driven business strategy, and more. His publishing and authority-building clients include attorneys, speakers, doctors, consultants, real estate professionals, coaches, and corporate leaders seeking to elevate their visibility and thought leadership.

He is also the host of The E-Heroes Podcast, featuring 380+ interviews with entrepreneurs, innovators, and industry disruptors. The show is distributed across major platforms including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRadio, Spotify, and additional global streaming networks.

Through consulting, publishing, and strategic authority positioning, Rob works with businesses and organizations worldwide to help them increase revenue, strengthen brand trust, and capture high-value online opportunities.

Rob is available for speaking engagements, media interviews, podcast guest appearances, and corporate training programs focused on authority marketing, legacy branding, and strategic visibility.

To learn more or to get started, visit www.AnspachMedia.com or call Anspach Media at (412) 267-7224.

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