Boss asking for work stuff on person FB

Toast4532

Hi

I have a small problem, I am on work placement at the moment, only a few of us in the office and our manager is obsessed with the company getting more 'likes' on Facebook, so every day, she will post something/share older posts and then asks us to 'share' them on our personal pages, which we have done a few times, reluctantly.

However on Friday just gone, she has posted/shared about ten different statuses and asked us if we would share them on our private pages so the company gets more likes and this annoys me, I have about 40 friends on FB (I only use it for friend and some family who are abroad, wouldn't bother with it otherwise) and while I don't mind sharing the odd one or two statuses, I don't particularly want to clog my page with unnecessary 'shares' that I know won't generate more 'likes' for the company because as I said, I only have FB for family abroad and friends so they aren't going to 'like' the statuses or the companies FB page.

Just wondering on how I'd go about saying to my manager about me not sharing the statuses on my page? I never post any statuses, the only statuses that have been posted on my page in the past two months, are all 'shares' from the companies page.

I am sick of constantly (i:e a few times a week) being asked to post company info on my personal page.

When we come in on a Monday and my manager checks FB (its the first thing she does) she gets grumpy when she see's there are no new 'likes' on the company FB. :rolleyes:

It sounds ridiculous, but it's really annoying me.

MadsL

Generally speaking I think the first principle should not to be in any way 'friends' with your company. I used to work for a company where the Marketing Manager decided she would set up a work profile on FB for the company. I had already made it a rule not to friend colleagues on FB. We got an email asking for friends and shares - I wrote back clearly stating that I would not be and that my line in the sand was facebook was for contacting my actual friends, not people I see everyday.

I think you need to de-friend your company and ignore any requests, I would suggest that you blame family/friends complaints/slagging. It might get your boss to reconsider their social media policy.

I would also suggest to her, so that you don't seem hostile, that you would be more than happy to promote any family and friends discount the company might wish to offer. (I assume that any product/service is relevant)

Also "likes" on Facebook are worthless in terms of business. She really would be better building a proper social media campaign.

Victor

A diversion first. One of the big things about boards.ie is sharing (give a little, take a little), not taking. One person giving something can be useful for many people.

It seems what you boss is doing is taking only, not giving. If she wants shares and likes, she needs to give back. this could be through special offers, discounts, competitions or content that people actually want. The spam she is currently creating is not something that people want. Additionally, converting Facebook users into customers is a difficult task - she is probably trying too hard.

Posting 10 times a days is probably way too much unless you are a major public-facing organisation that is providing realtime information to customers like a transport company. At that, it is probably more suited to Twitter than Facebook. I'm guessing she should be posting no more than 1-3 times per week.

I'd do the following:

Close down your facebook account, tell your manager you had to close it down because someone was messaging you personal stuff that was online. Open a new one under your Irish name, refriend everyone you are friends with.

I wouldn't put anything to do with work on my facebook account, ever. LinkedIn is where my work life information is, Facebook is where my personal life is. It's completely separate.

Toast4532

Thanks everyone, just to clear up a few things that forgot to include in my OP.

1) I am not friends with anyone who works in the office, there are only a few of us, including my manager, less than ten people in total.

We don't have products for sale, rarely do promotions etc. she just want more people to like the page. We have one competition at the moment, which is the first one in almost a year (I think).

There is a similar office near to us, who on FB have over 2000 likes and she wants our FB to be like their FB, but they sell products, always have some promotion/competition going on etc and they much bigger than us.

Opening a new account, under a different name, wouldn't be possible as the manager and her manager both know what the Irish version of my name is and my manager's manager knows my family and is an in-law (kinda) of my boyfriend, so that wouldn't work.

I personally don't believe in connecting your personal FB with work FB/work stuff, so this is partly why it gets to me, and that my personal page is full of worthless spam posts.

As I said, I never post statuses on my FB, I haven't done so in almost a year, so hate having to do it now.

quikquest

Not Ideal... but if you don't want to upset anyone... why don't you set your postings to "only me". Basically then you can share what you like on your wall and none of your family will see it I also think there is a way where you can make it that only certain people can see it so if your boss is a friend on FB have it so only she can see it.

I know its not ideal but it might just be the best way to keep your boss happy and then your not spamming your family.

MadsL

Toast4532 wrote: »

There is a similar office near to us, who on FB have over 2000 likes and she wants our FB to be like their FB, but they sell products, always have some promotion/competition going on etc and they much bigger than us.

What sector is the business in, if you don't mind posting. We might be able to give some better ideas than FB spam.

If the business is not B2C then Facebook is massively irrelevant for the business.

Toast4532

MadsL wrote: »

What sector is the business in, if you don't find posting. We might be able to give some better ideas than FB spam.

If the business is not B2C then Facebook is massively irrelevant for the business.

The company itself is for promotion business (not a recruitment agency etc).

In our office we just update the website/FB for the local brand and just some general office work, nothing hectic.

MadsL

Toast4532 wrote: »

The company itself is for promotion business (not a recruitment agency etc).

In our office we just update the website/FB for the local brand and just some general office work, nothing hectic.

Wow. Your office manager needs social media training, and if her boss is basing her performance on FB likes, then a serious objectives rethink.

Frankly, that is disfunctional.

foxinsox

That's mad.

If that my was workplace, I'd just ignore it.

Just don't share it and if I'd already liked the business page I would unlike it now.

Load of bull.

If your boss directly asks you why you don't share just say:

"Oh I don't share any stuff on my page, sorry about that."

End of, don't discuss it further or worry about it.

If the business or page was good people would like and share WITHOUT being asked.

P_1

Big no no for me.

Again that would be breaking my 'my personal and work lives are separate and never ever shall the twain meet' rule.

In effect, what your boss is asking you to do is to shout about the company to everybody that you know on a daily basis.

Toast4532

MadsL wrote: »

Wow. Your office manager needs social media training, and if her boss is basing her performance on FB likes, then a serious objectives rethink.

Frankly, that is disfunctional.

Those words are reversed, they should read 'business promotion' not 'promotion business'.

We do have a website which is updated once or twice a week usually.

The stuff she wanted us to 'share' on Friday, I haven't shared yet, and I am expecting her to ask about it on Monday as I know what she is like.

padma

Since your on a work placement, it may be a good time to now approach your boss about getting some money to put in your pocket. Maybe work on a 10 euro per like

Toast4532

padma wrote: »

Since your on a work placement, it may be a good time to now approach your boss about getting some money to put in your pocket. Maybe work on a 10 euro per like

Paid for what? Sharing on FB?

Not a chance in hell would that happen. :pac:

Conor_1978

Just disable your account, change the privacy settings to make you hidden from anyone who's not on your friends list, tell your boss your account is locked by fb. Then re-enable it and keep using it nice and hidden from prying eyes. Just don't log in while in work.

28064212

Toast4532 wrote: »

The stuff she wanted us to 'share' on Friday, I haven't shared yet, and I am expecting her to ask about it on Monday as I know what she is like.

How does she know whether you've shared it or not?

P_1

28064212 wrote: »

How does she know whether you've shared it or not?

You can see who shared your links with Facebook