It’s funny how social media works these days. There you are, a law-abiding citizen of the virtual world. Then, one day, you post something without bad intentions. And before you know it…
… Bang.
That’s the sound of the Twitter police knocking down your door and suspending your account.
Having your profile taken down for what is perceived as website violations is infuriating, especially if you feel that you’ve done nothing wrong. But it’s not an uncommon occurrence. Each day, the platform suspends a number of accounts. And over two months in 2018, more than 70 million accounts were banned.
The nature of these high volumes mean that sometimes, people who didn’t deserve to be kicked off the site are. If you happen to find yourself in that situation, fear not – not all hope is lost. Here are some ways you can deal with this inconvenience.
Submit an appeal
As would be the case if Google de-ranked your website, you’ll need to submit an appeal to Twitter and continue the conversation that way. But before you can even think about getting your account back, it’s necessary to understand why you were suspended.
While Twitter’s explanations can be vague, you can work it out for yourself by reading between the lines. For example, ‘cross-platform manipulation’ might mean that you shared a post from Facebook or LinkedIn as a link in a Tweet.
Once you have a good idea of why you might have been suspended, acknowledge this in your appeal. Show that you meant no harm and identify measures you’ll take to ensure that you aren’t a repeat offender. By proposing solutions to the problem, you’ll improve your chances of retrieving your account.
Ask for clarity
Like we mentioned earlier, Twitter’s reasons for suspension can be vague. And while they might not elaborate if you ask for more of an explanation, it doesn’t hurt to try anyway.
Tell their support team why you think you’ve been treated unfairly. Once you’ve done this, ask for more clarity so that you can work out how to comply with site rules going forward.
Getting a clearer description of the issue will help you to determine the appropriate next steps to take, or at the very least decide whether or not you *really* deserved your banning.
If your appeal is unsuccessful, think about where you can refocus your efforts
Once you’ve submitted your appeal, you should receive a response from Twitter within a couple of days. In this, you’ll be told why you were suspended (though again – this might be vague) and whether or not your account will be restored.
If they choose not to reinstate your account, you can go deeper into explanation about why you disagree with their decision. But if you either get no response or they don’t budge, then it’s best to think about how you can move forward.
Look at your website analytics. Where is your traffic coming from? Perhaps it’s worth doubling down on another of your social networks, such as LinkedIn. Or maybe you want to try something new, like Instagram. Whatever you choose to do, reinvest the additional time you now have wisely.
Final thoughts
With so much going on in the Twittersphere each day, it’s inevitable that not every decision will be fair when it comes to account suspensions. But there’s no need to throw in the towel just yet, should you feel that you’re on the receiving end of wrongdoing.
Look closer at your posts and determine which of your posts, likes or messages might have contributed to the issue. If you think logically, you can normally find the root of the cause.
Once you have an idea of what you might have done, think about how you can ensure it doesn’t happen again and send a meaningful appeal.
And if they stand by their decision, spread your expertise elsewhere. Look at other channels you can engage with your community with. It might seem like losing one social channel is the end of the world, but it really isn’t.
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