Facebook and Instagram forbids firms from using data for surveillance

You first need to get a minimum of 25 fans. Then go to http://facebook.com/username to register a unique username (vanity URL) for your fan Page. See this Help section on Facebook for more assistance with usernames.

If the username you want shows as not available (and when you go to pull up the URL, nothing comes up), you’ll need to contact Facebook directly. See this directory of forms. I have not yet found a form specifically for this request, but you could try a form like the one for intellectual property infringement.

To post as your Page, in the top nav bar click Account > Use Facebook as Page. Or, in the Admins area at the top right of your Page, click Use Facebook as xxxx (your Page name).

To post as your Profile, click the Edit Page button > Your Settings > and make sure the Posting Preferences box is unchecked > click the Save Changes button. Then make sure you’re using Facebook as your Profile (Account > Switch back to your name). If you want to leave the default so you always post as your Page regardless of whether you’re viewing Facebook in Profile mode

Facebook removed this feature for all Pages and instead encourages users to use the Share button found at the bottom left of all Pages. See this entry in Facebook’s Help Center: How can people suggest my Page to their friends?

However, the Suggest to Friends feature does still appear for Admins and has been moved to the top right of your Page now in the Admins area. I have heard reports that, since the Page Upgrades, the form is very buggy and that the friends don’t always receive the invites. Hopefully this is being resolved. Keep an eye on Facebook’s Known Issues Page.

As a sidenote, I’ve never been a fan of the Suggest to Friends feature – except for having other people suggest your Page to their friends. Suggesting to your own friends doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, because your friends are already connected to you. You could just periodically @ tag your Page on your Profile and/or use the Share button and include an enticing incentive, not just “come and like my Page.” ?

Many app providers are now offering simple solutions with two clearly marked text or image areas where you paste in what you want non-fans to see and fans to see. This is often referred to as a “reveal tab,” “fan-only content,” and “fangating.” See this list of app solutions for ideas.

I’m not a big fan of pouring your entire tweetstream onto your Facebook wall – either personal Profile and/or fan Page. Unless, of course, you don’t tweet that often. Even so, there’s a whole different language on Twitter with @, #, RT, acronyms etc. and any Facebook user who is not on Twitter won’t necessarily understand this language.