How to: Convert Personal Pages to Fan Pages

Hey blog viewers, I'm going to go through the process of converting your personal page to a fan page which is the proper page type for businesses, organisations etc.

First and foremost is why would you want to change. Well its actually against the terms and conditions of Facebook to have a personal page for businesses. But on top of that they offer many different features such as a vanity URL once you've got 25 fans. The fan pages also look more professional and 

When you make the switch, they will move over all your friends into fans. Facebook will also keep your name as the fan page name and you will keep your profile picture. Unfortunately all your timeline information will be lost BUT you can fortunately download all the information which I would recommend doing before converting. This is done by following the steps below.

1. Click  at the top right of any Facebook page and select Account Settings
2. Click General in the left-hand column
3. Click on "Download a copy of your Facebook data"
4. Click Start My Archive

You will have a business account with Facebook once you've converted which means you'll be able to advertise directly with Facebook. They do limit the information you can see on personal pages such as fans. You also cannot add friends to your page. Fans is the new friends. 

Followed is the URL which is key to making the switch, but beware, you cannot change back unless you submit a request for a reversal which would be declined if the page was in fact not for personal use.

Happy networking,

Dan