Another day, another Facebook hoax - this time, it's a viral post about a way to get around the algorithm.

Everyone knows that the Facebook algorithm - how Facebook decides what you see on your timeline and what you don't - is a mystery. No one but the programmers at Facebook understand how it works, which is why you shouldn't believe anyone who says they have it figured out.

Credit: Facebook/TSM
Credit: Facebook/TSM
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You may have seen the post on your own timeline:

"Thanks for the tips to bypass FB...it WORKS!! I have a whole new news feed. I’m seeing posts from people I haven’t seen in years. Here’s how to bypass the system FB now has in place that limits posts on your news feed. Their new algorithm chooses the same few people - about 25 - who will read your posts. Therefore, Hold your finger down anywhere in this post and "copy" will pop up. Click "copy". Then go your page, start a new post and put your finger anywhere in the blank field. "Paste" will pop up and click paste. This will bypass the system. Hi new and old friends!"

Stop sharing this. It doesn't work. In fact, it's just teaching you to 'cut and paste'.

This isn't the first iteration of this scam either - another one began with something like "How to avoid hearing from the same 26 FB friends and nobody else: Newsfeed recently shows only posts from the same few people, about 25, repeatedly the same, because Facebook has a new algorithm."

This one was so widespread, even Snopes.com weighed in and declared it a big old hoax. Snopes even went straight to the source: "We contacted Facebook to ask whether the claim of limiting personal interactions had merit, and a representative told us that the rumor held no water (which is in keeping with our own observations). As with other viral posts aiming to “trick” Facebook’s algorithm, this rumor is both misguided and ineffective."

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