So I took an unplanned week away from Instagram and then just social media in general, but it wasn't by choice!

One day I noticed a couple of my Insta posts weren't getting much love with the interaction, likes, comments etc and while I don't get hundreds of likes for a post, I do get more than a few over a whole day.

After working out that my posts were appearing and even the hashtags appeared with their search, I sent Instagram a message which obviously they didn't reply too.

A day later, the problem is still there so I started looking online for an answer and it didn't take me long to find out what it probably was.

Ladies & gentleman, boys & girls, I present to you, 'Shadow Banning'. It's a great title isn't it?
Now for those you who haven't heard of it, Shadow Banning, Shadow Banned, or one of the other many different titles is best described as when Instagram still let's you post but blocks you from new followers. 

The new algorithms that started in 2016 within Instagram saw peoples interaction sliced in half! Instagram acknowledged there was a 'hashtag glitch' or was it to cover up the fact they are flushing out the constant spammers?
If you are banned, you can still post but only your followers can see you're posting meaning any hashtag you may have used is actually useless!

If the interaction is down, you could ask a few people who don't follow you to see if they can see your posts within a hashtag you've used, if they can't, its a good sign you're banned!

So how do you fix it?  There is no clear way, people have tried different things and some people have been banned for a few days, others a few weeks.
I was banned for a week and tried different things, switching from a business account to a personal account, unlinking Facebook, taking out hashtags from recent posts, not posting for a day or two and constant 'Report a problem' within the Instagram app.
Whichever of those things that worked, if you do get banned, just try them all!

What has this taught us today then class? Well, if you have a problem, look to find out as much as possible about it to help solve it, the people's experiences you will read about, they were all like you once upon a time.

Share your experience with others, you will probably help someone somewhere!

Bonjour & good day!

Millions of people travel across London on the Underground everyday, miles below the surface of the world, it's probably the best reason it's described as the 'rat race', no offence intended.. I'm one of them!

While I play my role as one of the many sardines in the tin can they call a London Underground tube, you have few options to how you spend your time before your view becomes someone's big rucksack in your face!

Music or a podcast keeping you occupied, standing with your eyes closed (definitely a morning thing), no room to try and read that free newspaper you picked up or a favourite of mine is attempting to breath again with the whiff of body odour creeping up your nose (yes even at 5.30am!)

Sometimes it occurs to me that every single person on this tube has a 'story', everyone has got some sort of life experience, some happiness, some sadness and heartbreak to name just a few.

Imagine the experiences you could learn about from talking to just one of these people, not just squashed together on the tube but in world we live in!

A chance friendship started one afternoon on a tube platform at Euston London tube, waiting for the the tube to High Barnet.

A woman in her 60's at a guess was dressed in ripped jeans and leather jacket (really fit well with the Camden Town scene) with dyed pink hair (yes I was very jealous!)

This woman was offered a seat by a young girl as we waited for the tube, they started having a chat and ended up sitting with each other.

As I was close by, their conversation was in ear-shot, before you think it, I wasn't being nosey, I'm going to call it 'learning!'

This lady used to work in the theatre and loved It, the performance, the drama and the excitement the whole atmosphere were the things that drove her to that love.

The two chatted for 20 minutes or so before the young girl got off and it left me thinking, what does it take to drive people to what they really want to do?  Is it the love, the money or just fullfilment?

What do 'you' really want to do? Are you happy still working in retail, behind that desk everyday?  Are you stressed because your job makes you hate waking up everyday?

There is a strong chance you could relate to some of those questions, I was one of those people after almost 18 years in retail, yes 18 years clearing up after people, watching countless child tantrums in different toy shops, but it had to all change so I started to change that.  My story will appear at some point but right now this is about you!

So what do 'you' want to do then? What would you like to do with your life instead of the same old job that you currently hate and wish you'd never have to go back to?

The world out there is a big place and there is something especially for you but you need to work what you want to do!

I left retail and the 4.30am wake ups and instantly gained 10 hours of my life back a week, if you didn't count the 4 weeks for holidays) that's 520 hours a year gained! By not working in retail, working until 10.30pm at night, working weekends (the list of reasons goes on) I've been able to launch 'Learn Develop Live', you wouldn't be reading this had i still been in retail!

I could go on but how about instead, you think about yourself and what you want to change for the better, you're worth it and you deserve it!
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