Blocking someone on your Facebook business page is a way to restrict their access and prevent them from viewing or interacting with your page. When you block someone, it limits their ability to see your page’s content, contact you, or leave comments and reviews.
Why would you block someone from your Facebook business page?
There are a few main reasons why a business might choose to block someone on their Facebook page:
- The person is harassing you or employees of your business through comments, posts, messages, etc.
- The person is posting offensive, abusive, or spam content on your page
- The person is a competitor trying to obtain insights about your business
- A former disgruntled customer or employee who is trying to damage your reputation
- Someone who is repeatedly posting off-topic or irrelevant content
Blocking the person prevents them from continuing such activities on your page. It helps maintain a positive environment for your brand and other customers and fans.
What happens when you block someone on Facebook?
Here are the key effects of blocking someone on your Facebook business page:
- They will no longer be able to post content, comments, reviews, or interact with any posts on your page.
- Any existing content they posted, such as comments, reviews or posts on your page will remain visible to others, but will show as posted by “Facebook User” instead of their name.
- They won’t be able to share, react or comment on any new posts on your page.
- They won’t be able to message your Facebook page or contact you through Messenger.
- Your page will no longer show up in their searches or “Pages liked” list.
- They won’t see your page posts in their News Feed.
So in summary, blocking prevents the person from actively engaging with your page in any way. However, it does not delete or remove any previous content they may have posted.
How to block someone from your Facebook business page
Blocking someone from your Facebook business page is easy to do:
- Go to your Facebook page and click “Settings” in the top right drop-down menu
- Select “Blocked Accounts” from the left sidebar
- Enter the name or profile link of the account you want to block
- Click “Block” to confirm
You can also block someone directly from any comment they’ve left on your page:
- Hover over their comment and click the “X” icon
- Select “Block [Name]”
Once blocked, you won’t see any future comments from them.
Can a blocked person still see your page?
No, a blocked person will not be able to access your Facebook business page in any way. They will not be able to view any content or activity on your page.
Your page will look as if it doesn’t exist when they try to search for or access it. They will simply see an error message saying content is unavailable.
So blocking someone fully removes your page from their view and prevents them from engaging with your business on Facebook.
Can you unblock someone?
Yes, you can unblock people if you change your mind later on. To unblock someone:
- Go to your page’s “Settings”
- Click “Blocked Accounts”
- Locate the person you want to unblock and click “Unblock”
This will give them access to view and interact with your page again.
Unblocking also means any past content they posted will show their name again instead of just saying “Facebook User”.
What happens when a blocked person tries to comment?
If someone you have blocked attempts to post a comment, react to a post, or otherwise interact with your page, here is what will happen:
- They will be unable to leave a new comment or react to posts.
- If they try, they will see an error message saying “Unable to post comment”
- Their comment will not be visible to anyone else visiting your page.
- You will not be notified or see evidence of their failed attempt to comment.
- They may assume you deleted their comment, but in reality it never posted at all.
So a blocked person won’t disrupt your page, since all their activity will be automatically prevented without any public trace. Both you and your audience will be unaware of their failed efforts.
Can you tell if someone is blocked from your page?
There is no obvious indicator showing you that a specific person is blocked from your Facebook page.
However, here are some signs that suggest someone may be blocked:
- You’ve blocked them in the past due to inappropriate behavior
- A frequent commenter suddenly stops interacting with your page
- Someone complains to you privately that they are unable to comment or access your page
- You notice a comment under a post by “Facebook User” instead of a name
Checking your page’s blocked list under Settings is the only way to officially confirm if a specific account is blocked or not.
Should you notify someone if you block them?
There is no requirement to inform someone if you block them on your business page. Facebook does not notify users if they have been blocked.
However, some businesses choose to give the person a warning first or let them know they’ve been blocked. Reasons you may want to notify them include:
- To give them a chance to remove offensive content before blocking
- To explain why the action was taken as a caution against future behavior
- For customer service reasons if they are confused by inability to interact
- To satisfy their question of whether they have been blocked or not
Ultimately it’s up to you and how you want to handle the situation. But blocking without notice is still effective if you prefer not to engage further.
Best practices for blocking on Facebook
Here are some best practices when blocking accounts on your business page:
- Document reasons for blocking – This creates a record in case of disputes over why it occurred. Screenshot any abusive posts as evidence.
- Block sparingly – Avoid reflexively blocking customers with minor complaints, focus only on severe cases.
- Review blocked list periodically – Unblock if reasons are no longer an issue or policy has changed.
- Train moderators – Ensure anyone managing your page knows blocking policies and how to handle difficult situations.
- Automate when possible – Use keyword blocking filters to automatically block offensive language.
- Notify politely when needed – This maintains a professional tone if contacting blocked individuals.
Following these tips will make your blocking actions more thoughtful, fair and consistent.
Pros of blocking someone on Facebook
Blocking problematic followers has some benefits for your business:
- Prevents harassment and protects staff – Creates a safe, professional environment.
- Avoids negativity from previous customers – Helps ensure page remains positive.
- Eliminates competitor snooping – Stops competitors using your page for intelligence.
- Reduces spam and irrelevant content – Keeps page focused and clutter-free.
- Maintains brand reputation – Removes damaging comments or reviews.
- Saves time moderating – Less time dealing with disruptive accounts.
Overall, blocking can maintain the tone you want and prevent many headaches for your social media team.
Cons of blocking someone on Facebook
There are also some potential drawbacks to consider before blocking:
- May seem heavy-handed – Some users feel blocking is an extreme reaction.
- Prevents dialogue – The person can no longer be reasoned with or apologize.
- Bad publicity if reasons questioned – Blocking can backfire if audience feels it was unfair.
- Past posts remain visible – Blocking does not remove old comments.
- No longer informed of their perspective – You lose touch with their views.
- Can’t interact even positively – Their engagement restricted entirely.
So think carefully in terms of brand image and your relationship with the individual before taking this step.
Conclusion
Blocking people on Facebook should not be done lightly, but can be necessary to maintain a positive environment and prevent abuse. Evaluate each situation carefully, document reasons for blocking, and notify individuals when appropriate.
While blocking limits a person’s access to your page, their existing posts will remain visible. Use blocking judiciously for severe cases, not minor customer complaints. And consider unblocking those who resolve the issues leading to blocking.
Handle blocking in a professional manner, and it can effectively moderate your Facebook presence without causing unnecessary backlash. But react too hastily, and it may do more harm than good in the perception of your brand.
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