You need to know what type of account (business or personal) you have with Facebook. Here’s an summary of the Facebook rules and features for each type of account to help you stay within the rules.

• Before You Start: You have a Facebook account (login). You understand the different types of Facebook presence you can create (profile, page, and group).
• Learning Level: 2 | Getting Started
• Article Last Updated:  Sunday, December 4, 2011

Facebook Account Types

Your Facebook account is the way you log in to Facebook. Facebook offers two types of accounts and your account type determines the kinds of information you see and some of the actions you can perform with your Facebook business page.

• Do you have a personal Facebook profile? If you do, you have a personal Facebook account (login).
• Do you have just a business Facebook page? If so, you might have either a personal Facebook account (login) or a business Facebook account (login). Here’s how you can tell which one you have. Do you see a “Create Your Profile” button on the top of your account page? Then you have a business account. (Unsure where to look? Click on Account in the upper right corner.)

If you have two different Facebook accounts (logins), you have a problem. Having two accounts (logins) for Facebook is a violation of their terms of service. If Facebook discovers your violation, they can close your accounts and remove your entire Facebook presence (all pages and your profile). You will need some assistance to resolve this situation. It’s more involved than an article like this can explain.

Personal Accounts

Just because you have a personal account doesn’t mean that you can’t use Facebook for business. You can add a business page to Facebook using your personal account. In fact, that is exactly what Facebook wants you to do. From your personal account, you can administer your personal profile, any number of business pages, and any number of groups.

Many people who add a business page also have a personal profile. There is no problem with administering a business page from a personal account (login), even if you want someone else to help administer your business page. You can have an employee or someone you hire help you administer your business page without giving them your Facebook account (login) information.

Business Accounts

If you only want to use Facebook to maintain your business presence, you can use a business account. This separates the business account from all personal accounts, and may be a smart strategy for your business. A business account has some limitations on the types of actions you can take on your business page,  and has limited access to Facebook information.
You can convert your business account into a personal account by clicking on Create Your Profile button.

Your turn: Have you accidentally created more than one Facebook account? How did you resolve this? Or, did you convert a business account to a personal account? Share your experiences here.
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• A Facebook Page Means Business
• Facebook As A Social Media Hub
• Should My Business Be On Facebook?
• Create A Facebook Page For Your Business (Part 1)
• Create A Facebook Page For Your Business (Part 2)
• Facebook Privacy: What Is Public Information?