Warning! Facebook Might Deactivate Your Account!
Normally, I don’t use sensational headlines. I think they’re a cheap way to get people to click on your blog post. However, this was a matter that I couldn’t let slide without writing about it, and making sure it had a title that people would click on.
So, here’s the skinny. Facebook has always kept an eye on accounts that are against their terms of service. One of these violations is to “use your personal timeline for your own commercial gain”. What that entails (among other things) is creating a personal Facebook account with the name of a business, and then using it for business purposes. They have the right to shut access to your account down if you are found to be in violation. This has already been done more than once, and, in fact, happened just the other day as David Cohen from AllFacebook.com pointed out. They, also, do not have to warn you that they are going to deactivate your account.
Unfortunately I’ve seen a lot of companies do this, and have helped some to fix this problem. I even recently warned a company about this after they tried to send me a friend request, and got the brush-off. That’s one of the reasons I felt compelled to write this blog post. If you’re going to use Facebook to communicate to your customers than you should use it within the rules that they’ve made. If you don’t, you risk losing that connection. Here’s a couple more good reasons to use a Page vs. a Profile (if the threat of losing access has not convinced you).
Can It Be Fixed?
Yes! It can. Facebook has setup a way to migrate your personal account to a business page. Here’s the link to get started. But wait! Before you migrate here are a few things you should know.
- When you migrate your account to a business page, you will lose all of your content. There is a way to download all of your content, though, and restore it after the fact.
- Your “friends” will convert to “likes”.
- You will lose the ability to “message” your customers directly (unless they message you first).
- You will still be able to login using the same username and password.
- Migrating a profile to a page is not really a big deal, if you know the steps to take before hand. In fact, I’ve helped companies do this before.
Sources [CNN, JonLoomer.com]
Hi, I’m Cassie. I love books and media and think that they have the power to change our lives. I also love to write, play games like Minecraft and ARK, cook, run, and dance. For a living, I provide Digital Marketing and Website Design services under the company I founded Team 3 Media. Currently, I’m working on writing more, learning to bake better bread, and staying consistent with my health and fitness goals.