What To Do With Constant Facebook App Invites
Many people who join Facebook for business and professional reasons often seem completely stumped by the overwhelming number of invitations to install applications. And, the more friends you have the greater the number of invites you’ll receive.
From what I’ve seen, new Facebook folks respond to constant app requests in one of these three ways:
- Install-em-all: Some members feel obliged to install every app, especially when the invites come from people they know personally. The install-em-all peeps think their friends will get a notice from Facebook if they don’t install the app and they might risk offending their friends. [Note: Facebook does not alert your friends either way].Result: a Facebook profile completely overloaded with apps that (a) looks cluttered, spammy, and unprofessional and (b) drastically slows down load time. [Maybe the new tabbed Profile will help alleviate the app overdose syndrome].
- Deer-in-headlights: Brand new Facebook members often end up feeling stuck and overwhelmed with incoming friend requests and app invites from complete strangers. They feel confused and wonder what on earth all the fuss about Facebook is and end up missing out on the huge marketing potential.
- Head-in-the-sand: These folks let the app invites pile up higher and higher not knowing what to do with them. They’re afraid to install and afraid to ignore.
Help is at hand. Here are my suggested solutions:
(1) Ignore All.
The ignore all button is your friend! I use this button every single day as my policy is to ignore about 99% of application invitations. Absolutely no disrespect intended for all the amazing app developers out there or the kind friends who want to include me in the fun.
My strategy is to utilize apps that (a) have a particular business use, (b) save me time, (c) help me be more productive, and/or (d) help increase my visibility and presence in a tasteful and diplomatic way. (Actually, my fave way to find out about an app is to read a blog post or Note from a friend providing his/her experience with a certain app).
To apply the Ignore All feature, on your Home Page (the very first page you come to when you log in to Facebook; it shows your News Feed) click on ANY of the Requests over on the right column at the top. This takes you to your master Requests list page and you’ll see the ignore all link at the top right.
NOTE: I recommend reviewing your friend requests first, confirm/ignore, skim through all other requests, then click the ignore all button. A window pops up giving you a choice of which type of requests you want to ignore.
(2) Ignore All From Certain Friends
I use this link from time to time. Basically, if you’d like to keep someone as a Facebook friend and simply prefer not to receive app invites from them, use this link (appears under each invite).
(3) Block the App
If you keep getting requests to install certain apps from many friends and really don’t care for the app, just go ahead and block the app altogether and you won’t receive any more invites.
Here’s how: with incoming app invites, use the “Block This Application” link (as shown in the screenshot above to the left of the red box). Or, search for the app using the master Search Bar in the top left of any screen inside Facebook. Click “View Application” then you should see the link for “Block Application” on the right column towards the top:
I hope this helps make your Facebook experience more pleasant and productive!
For more Facebook tips you can apply immediately to accelerate your business growth, check out my Facebook for Professionals complete multi-media system.
Cool tips, thanks it is hard for me to keep my sanity in Facebook. Your tips helped me.
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Very good post, Mari. I was a deer-in-the-headlights for about two weeks. I then added only those apps that were functional and valuable to my purposes for being on Facebook and, well, ignored pretty much everything from that point forward.
I went another step and either “ignored all” from certain folks and/or deleted certain friends. I’m not keen on ignoring communication from people, but Facebook (and other social media sites) can just be overwhelming if you don’t set certain policies for information exchange.
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Great stuff. When you get started on facebook it really seems overwhelming. It is going to be an outstanding place to grow your business.
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Thanks Mari for addressing this issue again. I will use my “block” more and with more finesse!
Krista
Love this! There ought to be an easier way to eliminate apps.
A timely post for me as I am just in the process of creatong a number of applications which deliver blog articles to the subscribers facebook profile.
We will eventually have as many as forty covering a wide variety of subjects from politics and internet marketing to pets and celebrity gossip.
These apps are useful for someone who wishes to keep an eye on what is being said in their niche or who has an interest in a particular subject area.
The problem we have is just who to send the initial invitations to? Sending 40 invites each to hundreds of people is definitely spamming. Going through long lists of profiles for each app to see who might be interested in a particular one is very time consuming. The balance is somewhere in trying to alert others who may be interested in installing our apps, but not constantly barraging people with requests they will no doubt grow tired of.
I have no doubt that most will just reject the offer – often without knowing what they are rejecting – but I feel less guilty ignoring requests to install than I do sending requests to install. Just install what is good for you.
Hey Mari,
Thanks for the tips. Wacky stuff, most of it, but I can see why the kids like them.
I haven’t gotten too many – at least not so far – and my approach ‘Hey! Opportunity to connect.’
So I write a quick, brief direct message that says ‘Thanks and I’m ignoring all apps to help myself keep my promise to myself to stay simple. Nothing personal – and please keep staying in touch! I appreciate your thoughtfulness.’
And so far, it’s working. It’s sparked a couple of on-going conversations, and in most cases the apps stop.
Those that haven’t I’ve blocked.
Now I’m not you, getting what could be dozens of apps a day, in which case messaging each sender might be a colossal misuse of time. But for now, it just feels right as I get my FB feet wet and figure out how I want to play in this great big sandbox out here!
That said, please keep the tips coming. I’m really enjoying them.
All best,
Lissa
In just a couple of instances the
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Oops! I posted the wrong link. The article I read about cleaning up your facebook is at http://www.squidoo.com/faceonfacebook
and Tony Williams gives step by step instructions on how to clean up your mini feeds and newsfeeds as well as how to use Friendfeed.
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Mari,
This post was very helpful. I felt the way you described my first week on Facebook. I was afraid my friends would be offended if I didn’t accept the apps. But I got over it! Anyway, today I just read another great article about cleaning up your Facebook to use for business. Read it at http://www.squidoo.com/leveragetwitter
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Thank you, thank you! I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with these vampire bites and crazy things.
Tracy
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