Managing a Facebook page for UGA Extension is crucial for staying connected with your community. However, what happens if the person who set up the page leaves, and you’re locked out? Unfortunately, this is a common issue that can be frustrating to resolve. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the available steps to regain access (which are somewhat limited) and share some tips to prevent lockouts.
Understanding the challenges of Facebook page recovery
When you’re locked out of a Facebook page, it usually boils down to one issue: the person who originally set up the page is no longer available to transfer ownership. Unlike Instagram or Twitter, where business accounts can be managed independently, Facebook pages must be tied to a personal Facebook account. This can complicate things when employees leave without transferring admin rights.
Why it’s important to involve OMC early
One of the best ways to avoid this situation is to involve the Office of Marketing and Communication (OMC) early in the process. By giving OMC admin access to your Facebook page, you create a safety net. If there’s turnover in your office, OMC can step in to help maintain control of the page, preventing potential disruptions to your online presence.
If you’re already locked out and haven’t added us as an admin, IT and OMC cannot directly help you regain access. The only way to recover the page is to contact the person who originally set it up and ask them to transfer admin rights to you.
Contacting the former admin to regain access to your Facebook page
If you can reach the previous admin, they can add you as an admin to the page by following these steps:
- Login to Facebook: Ensure the admin is logged into their personal Facebook account.
- Add as a Friend: The admin needs to add your account as a friend. You may need to make your profile public temporarily so they can find it.
- Switch to the Business Profile: Then, the admin should click on the profile picture in the upper right corner, and switch to the UGA Extension Facebook profile from the list of profile options.
- Navigate to Page Settings: Have them go to the Facebook page and choose “Professional Dashboard” from the menu on the left.
- Access Page Roles: They will select “Page Access” from the menu on the left side of the dashboard.
- Add a New Admin: Next to the “People with Facebook Access” header, have them click the “Add New” button.
- Search and Add: Use the search bar to find your profile, and grant “full control” access.
By following these steps, the previous admin can transfer control to you, ensuring that you can manage the page. Remember, once you’ve regained access, it’s a good idea to add OMC as an admin to avoid similar issues in the future.
Troubleshooting login issues
If you’re locked out of a page because you are having trouble logging in or receiving verification codes, here are some things you can try:
- Use Different Browsers: Sometimes, switching to a different browser like Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Chrome Incognito can help resolve login issues.
- Clear Cookies and Cache: Clearing your browser’s cookies and cache might fix the problem. Just make sure you have your passwords saved before you do this.
- Check Facebook’s Help Center: Facebook has a guide for dealing with code verification issues.
Last resort: Starting fresh
If all else fails and you cannot recover the page, you may need to create a new Facebook personal account and/or start a new page. While this is far from ideal, it allows you to continue your online presence. You can re-post key content and encourage your followers to migrate to the new page. Once people are migrated, you can also request for the old page to be shut down.
Final Thoughts
Preventing lockouts is always easier than recovering from one. Make sure that your Facebook page has multiple admins, ideally including someone from OMC, to avoid being locked out. If you’re currently locked out, following the steps outlined above will give you the best chance of regaining control.