What Happens if You Report Someone's Message as Spam on Facebook?
Like other social networking sites, Facebook has a list of conditions everyone must agree to when they register. These include not using the site for spam: unwanted commercial messages or posts. You can report both posts and individuals as spam. Facebook may take action such as warning them or disabling their accounts.
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What Constitutes Spam?
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By "spam," Facebook generally means any messages with commercial content. You are free to start a page on your business which people can subscribe to if they want to read about it; you aren't allowed to promote your business via status updates on your personal profile, unsolicited messages to other users or Facebook chat. Other methods that spammers may use include tagging photos with random usernames to generate visits, creating groups with a commercial theme and adding people without their consent or posting noncommercial looking links that go to commercial -- and sometimes malicious -- sites.
What's Not Spam?
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Items you can't report as spam include updates from games or quizzes; chain statuses; or Internet "memes" (in-jokes consisting of certain phrases or images); or over-frequent updates, unless they have some commercial content. If you find posts from Facebook applications annoying, you can opt to ignore all future posts from that app; if someone's posting style is irksome, you can opt not to see their updates or just remove them from your friend list rather than reporting them. Repeated messages that may be regarded as spam in some contexts, such as a lonely-hearts ad that is posted multiple times, are less likely to be covered by Facebook's definition.
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Social Reporting
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Before reporting someone to Facebook, consider social reporting. This means contacting the poster directly or, if you don't feel confident doing this, reporting him to a trusted friend; in the case of younger Facebook users, a parent or teacher who can speak to him for you. This can be effective if the person was simply unaware of the rules.
Reporting Posts to Facebook
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You can report posts to Facebook using the "report post" option that appears when you click the "X" at the upper right of a person's post. The person will not be notified that it was you who reported them. The Facebook team will look at the post and see if it violates Facebooks terms and conditions. Reporting a post does not ensure that it will be removed; Facebook may decide that it doesn't constitute spam. If the post is deemed to be spam the individual will be warned. if this is a repeated offence their profile may be disabled. (See References 1 & 2)
Reporting Profiles to Facebook
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You can report someone to Facebook by going to his profile and clicking the "Report/Block This Person" link at the bottom of the left column, under his friend list. You'll be given a list of possible reasons for reporting him; choose one. Facebook will check out your report and may warn or ban the person if the report is deemed valid. The person won't be told who reported him.
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References
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