It's never a nice feeling to log onto Facebook and discover a friend is no longer there.
Sometimes they could have just had enough of the platform and simply de-activated their account - but now and again they have just decided to end your online relationship.
There are a number of quick and easy ways to get to the bottom of it all.
Facebook have understandably always avoided the temptation to notify users when someone blocks you. That means you will have to dig for yourself if you have your suspicions.
If you have been removed, the profile in question won't show up in the search results.
But sometimes glitches do happen - so there are other ways to investigate.
Search for the same profile in your friends' list and if they're not in there, the odds are you have been given the dreaded block.
There's also a third way of finding out if you're not totally convinced.
It involves a bit of hunting on Google, so you need to open up the search engines and get down to work.
While of course you can't see profiles of anyone who have blocked you in Facebook's search results, they will still be there online.
Simply try googling: "Facebook [person's name]" and see if their profile is there. If you see it, click it.
If an error message appears - or you are told that the content is unavailable - then once again, we've got some bad news for you.
If you have been blocked, your can't send the person an event invite or tag them in photos.
There's a fifth and final way of being absolutely certain but you will need some help.
Ask a friend to check their account to see if their profile is still active.
Of course, if you can't take the awkwardness, you could always go rogue and create a whole new profile and look yourself.
Happy hunting!
