If, like me, you own or manage a Facebook page, you may be used to switching identity to your page and then browsing Facebook like normal as your page, liking other pages, sharing posts etc… I’m not an avid Facebook user so I only noticed recently that I was no longer able to browse as any of my pages, like I had been always been doing until now.
At first I thought it might be a problem due to a browser plugin; Facebook just wasn’t working like it always had done. Well after some searching I found the answer and it was a lot simpler than I expected. Read on for the details!
Using Facebook As Your Page (The Old Way)
Until recently you would click the downward arrow at the top right of the screen (in a web browser), select your page, and your identity would be transformed into that page. Your name and profile picture would change to reflect that of the page. You would browse Facebook as that page, and any likes, shares, and comments that you made would be attributed to the page.
I recently followed the normal procedure but when I went to “Like” another page I realised that the profile was my own and not my page’s.
Had My Browser Plugin Broken Facebook?
I had recently installed a browser plugin so my first thought was that it had somehow broken Facebook.
No, a bit of searching the Internet revealed that Facebook has actually changed how pages work. At some point recently (early 2016 I would guess) they removed the ability to log in and use Facebook as your page from your settings.
How To Use Facebook As Your Page
Thankfully for us page owners you can still do all the usual things, just a little differently now. In a nutshell you no longer switch identity and use Facebook as your page, but rather you use the option to interact as your page on an individual basis. So you might be browsing as yourself like normal, but choose to like another page as your page, without switching identities.
Confused yet?
The Full Details From Facebook
The Facebook Help Team explained the change, and how to perform the various actions the new way in a community post at https://www.facebook.com/help/community/question/?id=10105426655151396.
That should explain everything, but if you are unsure please leave a comment below!
I want to use “if this then that” to post my blog articles directly from WordPress to Facebook, but it will only link with my personal account because I am not “using” Facebook as my page. I also can’t set up a Facebook plugin for the same reason. I’m thinking of making a new account and asking my followers to “like” this account instead, but that seems ridiculous. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Heather,
I’m afraid I’ve not tried doing either of those things so can’t help much. However, I did a bit of Googling and didn’t see anything to suggested that it was no longer possible – and I’d expect an outcry if that was the case.
I expect you’ll still be able to do it, but it may take some investigation and be a little more complicated than before.
Good luck!