Can Facebook page owners see that I've visited?
October 18, 2017 3:53 AM Subscribe
I was visiting a Facebook page for a business and clicked a link on it to see some photos. Immediately after I did this, I got a Facebook message from the business saying they had sent me an attachment. I deleted the message, but was this an automated thing or will they have a record of sending me that message and knowing I was visiting their page? I have not liked, followed, or connected myself in any way to this business. I also didn't respond to the message. I can't find anything about this on Facebook but it's kind of squicked me out.
Depending on what the file was (was it a real file, or a message saying "we have a file for you?") it might just have been a retargeting ad.
posted by Miko at 9:57 AM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Miko at 9:57 AM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Was this on the web? or phone?
Facebook on the web is screwy in that sometimes you'll click on something to post a comment or look at a picture, and it will open up a chat window in the corner that is not a chat, just a window focused on the posting although it isn't obvious. Facebook is just trying to make you think it is a chat so you are more likely to post.
posted by TheAdamist at 10:03 AM on October 18, 2017
Facebook on the web is screwy in that sometimes you'll click on something to post a comment or look at a picture, and it will open up a chat window in the corner that is not a chat, just a window focused on the posting although it isn't obvious. Facebook is just trying to make you think it is a chat so you are more likely to post.
posted by TheAdamist at 10:03 AM on October 18, 2017
Facebook recently sent me an email trying to get me to install something that would direct an automatic message to anyone who visited my 'business' Facebook page. It would need to be written in advance, and it would not require me to do or know anything about it at the time the message would be sent. But maybe I misunderstood what they were trying to sell me.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 10:24 AM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 10:24 AM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Are you sure there was an attachment? I notice that sometimes when I am visiting a business Facebook page for the first time, a chat window will appear. It will say something about how long it generally takes for the business to respond to a message. I always put this down to Facebook trying to encourage people to connect.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 2:28 PM on October 18, 2017
posted by kinddieserzeit at 2:28 PM on October 18, 2017
Response by poster: This was on the web. After I clicked the link, a notification popped up in messenger saying I had a new message. I went to messenger, saw the message was from the business, opened the message, message said "Business has sent an attachment" with no other text and what appeared to be an attached file. Because it looked exactly like any other facebook messenger message, I wondered if it showed up as a sent message for them.
posted by Polychrome at 3:11 PM on October 18, 2017
posted by Polychrome at 3:11 PM on October 18, 2017
Sounds like an automated Messenger Ad.
posted by third word on a random page at 5:40 PM on October 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by third word on a random page at 5:40 PM on October 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Other social websites keep track of who visits what pages; Delphiforums has always shown "recent visitors" at the front page of each forum. Allowing them to auto-send a message and attachment sounds like, sigh, a "marketing feature" that FB would be happy to sell.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 9:25 AM on October 18, 2017