Facebook question, “like” it or not.

I have a Facebook page HERE.  I don’t do much with Facebook, however. Is that bad?

I have a question for you knowledgeable readers and veteran Facebook users.

I have usually between 4900 and 5000 “friends” on Facebook.  I have nearly 1000 friend requests right now and I just don’t have the energy to look at everything.  Alas, it maxes out at 5000.  There is apparently another kind of “page”, however.  I don’t quite get the difference.

One Facebook page I have seen is that of some “public figures” who have tens of thousands of people who “like” them. They obviously don’t have to go through the rigamarole of approving “friend” requests, etc. And it doesn’t max out at 5000.

We may have been through this here before, but I am little thick when it comes to Facebook.

I made a new “page” over there, and I think it is the more flexible sort. Click HERE.

I could use some instruction and pointers. I might have to enlist a few people to watch things for me. I am getting a little overwhelmed, frankly, and need to aim some energy at a couple other important things.

Can I merge the page that maxes out at 5000 with some new page that doesn’t have a limit?  I really don’t want more than one Facebook… thingy.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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28 Comments

  1. Gil Garza says:

    Facebook has the largest network right now in the world. So for buzz sake use it!

  2. Kathleen10 says:

    Father Z, you seem to be living in a parallel universe to me! I have been creating and deactivating my Facebook account for the last few weeks, my first time “on” Facebook. A desire to get in the loop and participate makes me try it, then a concern about tracking and privacy makes me deactivate. The other day I “liked” Tim Tebow, now Tim Tebow’s posts have taken over my family and friends Facebook site! It’s like a Tim Tebow virus, we can hardly get a word in edgewise. Now I’ve got to figure out how to defriend Tim Tebow, or otherwise get him to knock it off. Is this socializing in the brave new world? I want to be connected, but I think I need more actual human beings.

  3. Father, you are certainly a public figure and it is entirely appropriate that you should use a “public figure” Facebook page. It need not do much more than contain a link to WDTPRS, so it shouldn’t constitute another big internet thingy that you have to manage.

  4. DIgoe says:

    While I don’t think that you can simply merge your current “friend” page with your new “public figure” page, you could make a status on your “friend” page, providing a link to the new page in the message; I imagine most people, seeing that you have a new page and that you would be more prone to post on it, would “like” it. However, I do not believe there is anyway to deactivate your current “friend” page and keep the “public figure” page (I could be wrong), as you need to be a user to create any other type of page.

  5. DLe says:

    @Kathleen10: I believe you can “unsubscribe” from posts that appear on your newsfeed. That is, next to their post on your feed, there should be a little down arrow that you can click. On it, there should be an option to unsubscribe from the page/person so its/his/her posts do not fill up your newsfeed.

  6. Christo et Ecclesiae says:

    Father, I have some answers for you…

    A page is what you need, so you are on the right track. Your profile (where you have friends) and your public page (newly created) are both linked to your Facebook Account. You can’t merge the two but you CAN turn your old profile into a page. All of your friends will become “likes” and the only downside is that you have to delete the page you just made to avoid confusion.

    Here is some more info on converting a profile to a page.
    http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=213602951994043

    When you want to migrate your profile into a page, follow this link.
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php?migrate

    I hope this helps! [That did! Thanks! I believe what you are describing is what I was imagining I might be able to do.]

  7. Christo et Ecclesiae says:

    Father, the second link I posted is INCORRECT, this one will direct you to migrate rather than start a new page… (who knew one backslash made such a difference!)

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php?migrate

  8. jbas says:

    Yes, the main Facebook account is personal, just for your friends. A page is great because you can easily place links to each of your blog posts there, as well as links to other sites. It is good to set the comment filter on the higher setting to keep out “bad words”.
    I use a page mainly to avoid the problem of minors wanting to “friend” me. Pages remove the element of private conversation.
    I suggest not allowing followers to post anything, pictures or otherwise, on your page’s wall.

  9. Dear Fr. Z.,
    I clicked on your link, but it only showed me a page that asks me to log in. I don’t have a Facebook account, and don’t want one. So, although I’d like to view your page, Facebook has decided that it will stand between you and me. A word of advice: no facebook, please.

    [Given what I do, I don’t think that is an option for me.]

  10. Okay…. I migrated my profile to a page.

    Now what?

    I see settings for “ads”. What gives? Does that mean I can control whose ads I permit?

  11. Christo et Ecclesiae says:

    You should be able to edit your page, advertise, etc. I don’t believe you can control ads.

    If you go into Edit Page > Manage Permissions you can change the profanity blocklist to high, as someone posted above. This will limit posts with vulgarities.

    Also in this area, you can limit posting privileges and what is default displayed (everyone’s posts, just your posts, etc.)

    Basically, go through all of the options on the left column of Edit Page (your settings, manage permissions, basic information, etc.) until you got everything how you want it!

  12. Atra Dicenda, Rubra Agenda says:

    Consider yourself “liked”, Father.

  13. Atra Dicenda, Rubra Agenda says:

    BTW, I like your middle name.

  14. I can’t get to your previous or migrated page. When I click either link in your post, or when I click on your profile while in Facebook, it merely takes me to a generic feed with farmville stuff.

    I don’t do farmville, or any other farmville. LOL

    I do hope you haven’t disappeared. I think the idea of a page or a public figure page is the best solution.

    And, yes – you need to have this in Facebook. I find some people just won’t stray far from FB.

  15. APX says:

    Alas, it works not for me either.

  16. Okay… I think I found the offending setting. Try it now.

  17. Jim Dorchak says:

    Fr. Z
    I used to facebook until I got a virus that was raging through the facebook network. What steamed me was that the facebook people knew for a week about the virus and let it go about it’s nasty job of destroying harddrives, with out lifting a finger of warning to its members or with out removing the virus when they had the chance. It cost me $1,000 to remove and fix the virus as I had to return my computer to the manufacturer. I no longer facebook. I was a waste of time and more important money… or are they the same thing?
    Jim Dorchak

  18. Perhaps not. I am now becoming irritated, as always when I spend more than a few minutes a month on anything having to do with Facebook.

  19. It seems to be working now.

  20. Try posting something or commenting over there. http://www.facebook.com/fatherz

  21. For example: If I am logged out of FB, and I try to go to my own page, I am redirected to a log in page which I cannot get beyond. However, if I am logged out of FB, and can go successfully to the pages of the Archdiocese of NY http://www.facebook.com/archny or Sarah Palin http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin just for examples of people also with pages, not profiles.

    What gives?

  22. APX says:

    Because one needs a profile to view profiles, thus be logged in. Facebook pages are public and can be viewed without a profile, therefore can be viewed whilst logged out of Facebook.

  23. transparent2one says:

    I use facebook to follow my favorite blogs. Its nice to go to one place to see recent post rather than going to each blog individually. I am glad you have this public facebook page now as you were maxed out on the other. I think ppl like Mark Shea and Taylor Marshall have some sort of program that auto updates facebook and twitter when they post on their blogs. Now twitter, I don’t get, I get confused with all the abbreviations.

  24. Darren says:

    Fr. Z said: ” …I am now becoming irritated, as always when I spend more than a few minutes a month on anything having to do with Facebook.”

    Reason I completely quit facebook a while ago… I quit it, came back several months later, after and hour became irritated… quit again, then several months later gave it one last try, then decided I really don’t care when someone just ate a muffin or sneezed or had to scratch his foot. There were some good things that came of it over a few years, but ultimately, I weighed the good vs the bad and decided to just give it up completely.

    I do not miss it one single bit. But I was one of Fr. Z’s thousands of friends when I WAS there! :)

  25. Dr. Eric says:

    Father,

    You can use this program:

    http://ping.fm/

    to post on all your social networking sites at once.

  26. Dr. Eric. Interesting. Thanks!

  27. flyfree432 says:

    Like most new media, it can be used for good. I do a good deal of ministry on facebook because it is where everyone is, not just teens. Of the 500 or so friends I have, many of them are non-Christians and some of them live in sinful relationships. I find an open door there to talk to them where their defenses are lowered and we can talk about life. I also learn things, like about a parishioners miscarriage last week that might not otherwise come up in conversation and organized a holy hour and spiritual bouquet for her. It is an easy way to share other media – articles from the Catholic Herald, blog posts from Father Z, decrees from the Magisterium – with those who are connected to me as well.

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