Booted and Blocked

And I don't know why

I logged into Facebook, fingers ready to write up a review for a local restaurant. I’ve been writing detailed reviews on a Facebook group for Calgary foodies since last September, so I was a little confused when I couldn’t see the group page in my shortcuts. Even when I searched, it still didn’t come up.

I enlisted the help of a friend who was also in that group and she confirmed that I was no longer a member AND I could not be added.

I’d been booted and blocked.

I checked the other groups managed by the admin and I had been booted from all of those too. When you are banned from a group, you cannot see that page at all. This is what you get:

I sent a DM to the admin, as sure as the sun rises that this was a mistake. When I post to the foodie group, I get hundreds of likes and dozens of comments. I bring engagement to that page. I’m not contentious or combative. Even on the Roast & Toast Calgary page (banned from that one too) I made a conscious effort to toast rather than roast.

There was no response from the admin.

I followed up with an email, since the admin is a pretty well-known anonymous blogger (oxymoron, I know). I didn’t ask why I was kicked out, I expressed my confusion at not seeing the groups anymore.

There was no response.

A week later, I sent another DM and a follow-up email.

No response.

I complained on my Facebook profile, tagging the blogger. Still nothing. My friends stepped up for me, sending messages of their own, singing my praises. Another friend sent a tweet: This simply has to be a mistake because she’s just not the kind of person who says or does stuff to get a block.

I’ve been letting this issue take up space in my head for more than two weeks. Others have suggested it’s a misunderstanding. And then this idea was vocalized: it’s probably because of your last name. That didn’t occur to me because I am fortunate enough to have very limited experience with anti-semitism. In this case, it’s an unprovable sentiment. I suppose I could ask, but I can’t get the admin/blogger to respond to a gentle email. Accusing them of being anti-semitic won’t get me back in the group.

Lucky for me, I know better than to keep all my eggs in the social media basket. Every review I’ve written for the Facebook group is saved in my cloud.

It dawned on me that being booted was a blessing. For a few years, I’ve been considering writing a food blog, one that goes beyond just Calgary. This is the push.

Allow me to introduce you to my next newsletter: THE DISH. Click the link to read the first published restaurant review.

This newsletter will be ultra-sporadic. I will only rate and review the good places. My criteria is simple: if I am still thinking about the meal the next day, if I’m looking at my day-after breakfast with the sadness of losing a best friend, I’ll write about it. There will not be any negative reviews. We all have bad days and I don’t won’t to unfairly review a restaurant.

Paid subscribers have the opportunity to tell me if there is a place in Calgary you’ve always wanted to try, and I’ll go on your behalf. Founding members can join Jeff and I on a date night.

I hope you enjoy this new venture.

Happy reading and eating!

xo Dana

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What I’m reading

I adored Heather Marshall’s debut novel, Looking for Jane, a novel about three women in different timelines making difficult choices that will link them together. The Secret History of Audrey James has two timelines, one set in Berlin during during WWII and the other in England in 2010. I’ve been looking forward to my downtime to get back to reading about these vibrant and bold women. You can listen to my interview with Heather at this link.