The Social Media Guy - James Rodgers

01/10/2025

Would you pay for a subscription to stop seeing ads on Facebook and Instagram?

Over the coming weeks, Meta is giving people in the UK the choice to subscribe to stop seeing ads on Facebook and Instagram.

"It will give people in the UK a clear choice about whether their data is used for personalised advertising, while preserving the free access and value that the ads-supported internet creates for people, businesses and platforms," said the company.

The changes come after the UK's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), published guidance for firms about ad-free subscriptions earlier this year.

"This moves Meta away from targeting users with ads as part of the standard terms and conditions for using its Facebook and Instagram services, which we've been clear is not in line with UK law." said an ICO spokesperson.

The subscription offering is similar to a service offered by Meta in the EU where users of its platforms can already pay a fee starting from €5.99 a month ($10) to see no ads.

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14/09/2025

Parents are getting increasingly creative with how they share images of their children online. But does covering or blurring our children's faces in images posted to social media achieve what we think it does?

09/09/2025

The technology is there. No requirement for uploading ID as people keep claiming.

04/07/2025

19/06/2025

The perfect cup for a business owner...

26/02/2025

It was an honour to be asked to present at the Jaguar Club of Western Australia about utilising Facebook for car clubs in WA.

Special thanks to the Motor Museum of Western Australia. Check them out at Whiteman Park.

14/06/2024

Boss: Why are you always on your phone and YouTube open on the computer, are you actually doing work?

Me: Well, I am the Social Media Manager...😳😒

21/05/2024

I support age restrictions on social media. Not a complete ban but rather implement restrictions and providing a safe learning environment for children to interact with the online platform.

- Age verification
- Restricted access to features (for example, no public pages)
- A limit on who and how many people you can add to your network

What do you think? Should children under 16 be able to access social media?

Ming Johanson Surf Online Safe Safe on Social Safe4Kids Meg Coffey

Despite concerns about the impact of tech platforms on young people, some experts are sceptical that a ban could be implemented safely and effectively

19/04/2024

Meta's new AI tool has launched today. It's similar to ChatGPT. You can ask it questions and the chat both will respond with an answer.

The chatbot prompted me to search about RSPCA WA foster care and Mark McGowan controversies, see examples below.

I also asked my own random question about managing a Facebook Ads budget.

Have a play and let me know if you think it's a useful tool?

16/04/2024

Great news: I’ve obtained a new certification in record time: Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Specialization from Google!

This 6-month course was completed in 2 weeks, 2 weeks ahead of my 4-week target.

The course covered; Search Engine Optimisation & Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Google Ads, Email Marketing, E-Commerce, and Analytics.

This certificate verifies my successful completion of Google's "Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce" on Coursera

11/04/2024

One of the most requested tutorials from business owners is how do I connect my business page & Instagram accounts?

Read more: https://socialmediaguy.com.au/how-to-connect-facebook-instagram-accounts/

20/03/2024

Proud to say I've finally obtained a certification from Meta by completing the Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate on Coursera.

I set myself a goal to complete the 6-month course in 6 weeks, 1 unit per week, but smashed that by completing the course within a 1 month.

The course requires you to pass a number of tests, peer reviewed assignments, and the Meta Digital Marketing Associate Certification Exam.

My next goal is to do something similar for LinkedIn and Google Ads.