Let me tell you of my tale of Facebook jail.
(some of this is discussed in the last Book Brew post, but expanded on here - and I’ll forewarn you, this is a long post)
The Backstory of a Facebook Dilemma
To start, a little backstory. When we started Thoughts Brewing, LLC, I decided to create a new “personal” Facebook profile that would be the public-facing profile for the business and serve as the business page admin. I did this for a few reasons - the main two being that I wanted to separate the personal from the business (no piercing the corporate veil), and to have a fresh start on a page so I could build it up around the business.
As I built up the new profile, I started using my old personal profile less and less. Then, at the beginning of Q2 2024, I chose to halt the use of that profile so I could focus on work. I had found I was getting too sucked in by those tricky algorithms and spending far too much time just doomscrolling.
Leaving Doomscrolling Behind
At the time, I chose to keep using the FB Messenger app since it was the main way I communicated daily with my mom and other friends. All of this worked out reasonably well until I started accessing my profile more and more. So, I again left my personal profile and this time, stopped using the Messenger app.
As I made that announcement, I just happened to log in to the Business Suite of Meta for the business page and invited our admin email and Damien to become admins of the business page - this turned out to be a stroke of luck, well, kinda, but not really (read on).
A little side road here - around this same time I had also spent some time getting a Zap set up in Zapier to automatically create posts to the business page whenever a new blog post was created. Side road trip over, but keep this in mind as you keep reading.
The Onset of Facebook Jail
Now, fast forward (or rewind, depending on which side of the story you are approaching from) to a few weeks ago when I got my new profile suspended. I am still not 100% sure what I did to land up in Facebook jail but I believe it was a combo of making a post saying I was leaving one profile for another (with a link to my business profile), commenting on a friend’s post about how to unhack a FB profile, and accidentally clicking the FB hacked link which takes you to the start of the process of telling them your profile or one of someone you know has been hacked (word of caution here: do not click that link unless you want to tempt fate).
A Stroke of Luck Amidst Uncertainty
I normally wouldn’t have cared that I landed myself in Facebook jail; however, I quickly realized that would mean I couldn’t access the business page because, as it turns out, you have to have a personal profile to be an admin for a business page. It also meant that my new Zap would no longer work since it routes through the personal login to get access to the business page. I also quickly learned that even though I invited the admin email, it was associated with my email and would not allow me to create a new account. And even though I invited Damien, he deleted the email because he’s not interested in creating a FB account (can’t blame him there - I have tried, unsuccessfully, to leave the platform so many times over the past two decades)
The Ripple Effects of a Suspension
My initial reaction to all of this was a low-level panic since it could mean losing total access to and control of the business page, possibly needing to create a whole new page, which would mean a new tag that would mess up links across websites, platforms, email signatures, and business cards - argh! It would also mean that the 2.5 years I spent building up my profile page with networking with various people and groups would be gone - double argh (think Charlie Brown here)!
Focusing on What I Could Control
However, I decided to take a step back and focus on what I could control. I eventually found a backdoor way to access the business page through the business suite, so I knew I could at least temporarily keep control of the page. And I resigned to the fact that I may need to start my profile page from scratch again and what that would look like, as well as what I would do differently.
The Appeal and the Wait
When you get locked up in FB jail, you can appeal it. I appealed it immediately, and they then give you a notice that it typically takes them a day to respond - at which time, if they deem you unsuitable, that’s it, no more appeals. Well, day after day, there was no change. I thought for sure my profile was a goner - but that was okay because I had already decided how I was going to forge ahead and rebuild.
The Power of Letting Go
It’s funny how the universe works sometimes. After I had fully accepted that I would not regain access to my profile and would have to recreate it, I opened my phone and poof, there it was. After six days in jail, it magically reappeared like Dumbledore conjured it or something. I have read so many books over the years about the power of letting go - this was such a great example of that. A few relevant quotes here:
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” - Full Catastrophe Living - Jon Kabat-Zinn
“When we let go of the struggle to fix or control everything, we naturally gravitate toward a state of balance and harmony.” - Full Catastrophe Living - Jon Kabat-Zinn
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” - Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
“Suffering comes from our attachment to outcomes. Letting go isn’t defeat—it’s freedom.” - Designing the Mind - Ryan Bush
“Tranquility follows when we stop worrying about things beyond our control.” - A Guide to the Good Life - William Irvine
Building a Stronger Foundation
Once I was freed from FB jail, I immediately went to work on setting up the profile and business page for success by:
- Adding others as admins to the business page
- Making a full list of all of the groups I was in
- Making a full list of all of my friends
- Joining some of the groups with the business page
- Reconnecting the Zap for the blog posts
- Started working on building up profiles on other platforms (I have found Alignable to be a refreshing change - message me if you want an invite)
Words of Caution for Business Owners
So here are my words of caution to you all.
- If you are the only person with admin access to your business page, remedy that right now.
- This is a service we are happy to provide, but even just finding a friend is a good start.
- Don’t rely on external platforms as your only source of contact with your clients.
- Have your business processes documented.
- Plan for failure, because at some point it will come.
- One is none. Two is one.
Ponder This
- How do you balance the benefits of social media with the risks of over-reliance on a single platform?
- What contingency plans can you put in place today to prepare for potential digital disruptions in the future?
- How do the philosophies of letting go resonate with how you handle unexpected setbacks?
Books
- A Guide to the Good Life - William Irvine
- Full Catastrophe Living - Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
- Designing the Mind - Ryan Bush
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