It can be difficult to tell what’s real and what’s doctored nowadays. When you discuss anything you read online or see in the news, most likely, the response you’ll get is: Well, look at the source.
When even the source is difficult to determine, it’s hard to put your trust in any news agency—or any brand. Facebook is hoping to counteract that with its latest tweak to Facebook pages, a change that’s designed to increase transparency and provide more information on page managers.
Facebook has added a new Page Transparency section to Facebook pages that includes and expands some information formerly found on the Info and Ads tab. The info includes:
- The date the page was created
- The primary country locations where the page is managed. This applies to all page roles and will include any agencies that manage the page, as well as your staff
- The number of people who manage the page in each country
- Any previous name the page may have had
- And any page merges that happened on or after Sept. 6, 2018.
The changes may have been sparked by the attempts to spread misinformation throughout the last presidential campaign and more recent mid-term elections, but it will help provide users with more information about the page they’re visiting and who is managing it, so If you manage a Facebook Page, make sure your information is up to date.
It is easy to find, too. All you have to do is click on a page’s timeline as a visitor and then find the Page Transparency section, which is usually on the right side of the screen, below the ‘About’ section. Click ‘See More’ or ‘See All’ (depending on which is visible) to navigate to the information screen.
Now you’ll have a good idea of how many people are running a competitor’s page, where they’re located, how long it’s been around and if it sported a different name at one time in the past. Also, you can get a glimpse of the ads they’re running. You’ll know if your competition is essentially a one-person operation or an army of internet trolls operating out of a bunker in Russia.
What do you think? Will you learn anything new about your competitors? Is this a good idea? Let us know in the comments!