Facebookers rejoice as the Book of Faces has made yet ANOTHER update: Facebook profiles can now be CONVERTED into fan pages! If you’re one of those businesses who didn’t want to convert their profile page to a fan page for fear of losing your “friends” – your moment in the sun has come…and not a moment too soon. Businesses are not technically allowed to have personal profiles and if caught, you risk getting locked out of that profile -trust me, I speak from experience*(see below for a tip).
A few things to know before switching: Facebook profiles have a limit of 5,000 friends, which can certainly be limiting so far as growth is concerned. Fan Pages are Unlimited. All of your pictures will be transferred but your content will NOT, so be sure to back up your posts, messages, friend lists etc. All “friends” will be converted into “fans” and you’ll experience Facebook the way businesses were supposed to.
In sum, well done Facebook. It’ll be interesting to see how long this news will travel to the non socially savvy folk who actually need to hear this.
*Tip: Always have more than one admin to your Facebook fan page. If, knock on wood, you get locked out of the account that controls your page, you NEED a backup. Whether it’s an account that lies inactive, a friend or a fellow coworker, it’s important to always have access. You never know what Facebook might see as strange behavior so it’s better to be safe than sorry.