Meta has announced significant changes to Facebook's personal profile features, with the platform beginning to remove the public followers option starting November 14th. This update marks a strategic shift in how creators and professionals engage with their audiences on the platform.
Key Changes and Timeline
The transition will occur in phases:
- November 14th deadline affects an initial small group of profiles
- Rolling implementation dates for remaining users
- Automatic Professional Mode activation for profiles with existing public followers
Professional Mode Features
Users transitioning to Professional Mode will gain access to:
- Combined friends and followers audience
- Post and audience insights
- Content monetization opportunities
- Post boosting capabilities
- Enhanced analytics tools
Impact on Different User Types
Personal Users
- Classic Mode remains unchanged for users without public followers
- Friend-only settings continue as normal
- No impact on users who never enabled public following
Content Creators and Professionals
- Automatic transition to Professional Mode if public followers exist
- Access to Page-like features on personal profiles
- Enhanced engagement tracking capabilities
Business Considerations
While Professional Mode offers expanded features, Meta still recommends maintaining separate business Pages for:
- Small business owners
- Companies requiring full Meta Ads Manager access
- Brands needing distinct business presence
This update aligns with Meta's strategy to streamline creator tools and simplify user settings, continuing the convergence between personal profiles and business Pages that began with Professional Mode's initial testing in December 2021.
