Facebook Disaster

If you can read this, you came from Twitter.

Late last night, Christmas night, I tried posting something on Facebook, but I couldn't get it to register.  I logged out.  Then when I tried to log back in, Facebook said my account was "temporarily blocked" because of a virus in my PC.

What?

I ran my antivirus scanner, which found nothing.  After confirming on Facebook that I had removed the virus, I was able to log on again - but with limited access.  I could click "like" on something, but I could not post, chat or send messages in any way, shape of form.  As directed, I tried to contact and ask a question of the Facebook Help Center, which was no help at all.  I couldn't even ask a question in the user forum.  I was prepared to wait a few days as Facebook instructed, until I started surfing the Internet and found that other Facebook users had the same problem . . . only it got worse, not better, after a few days, with one person even losing the ability to click "like" on anything after waiting longer than that.  It may even turn out that someone hacked my account.

Clearly, I had to be pro-active. I ended up calling one of those tech support services that helps with Facebook issues - because Facebook doesn't have tech support of its own.  (Writing an e-mail to someone at Facebook is harder than getting a date with Scarlett Johansson.) It turned out that I had viruses my security system somehow missed - and I paid a pretty penny to get this service to remove the threats that were found.   I now have to wait until 8:00 PM Wednesday to access my Facebook account again. 

I don't even know if that will do the trick.  I just have to be patient and wait.  It may turn out that I have to go through the whole thing all over again. :-(

In the meantime, I still plan to post my annual winners and losers of the year list on this blog, as well as a final holiday-themed Music Video Of the Week for 2011.  I just don't know if any of my Facebook friends will know about it.

Stay tuned.