Your Facebook profile email addresses secretly changed
Facebook has just made a change that can drastically change how and if people can communicate you. They have hijacked your email attempted to make sure your family, friends, clients and prospects communicate with you through facebook only. Without informing you and without your permission, Facebook has replaced any and all email addresses visible on your profile with your @facebook.com email address.
Didn’t know you know you had a @facebook email address? In 2010, Facebook launched an email service without much fan fare. It had been anticipated by those in the know for a while. But by the time it launched, nobody seemed to care. @facebook.com email addresses can be used to send and receive private messages in facebook by email.
Now Facebook is trying to encourage their use by removing all your email addresses on your profile and only displaying your @facebook email address. It is now not only your default email address, it is your only email address on your profile. So if your friends, family, business contacts, clients, prospects or anyone else you’re connected to wants to email you, they can only do so through facebook.
One of the topics I stress when I teach a class on social media for business is to have your contact info readily available on your profile. Make it easy for your clients to contact you. Make your phone number, website and email address easily accessible. Facebook has thrown that out the window and believes all communication should be through them only! Not a good business practice. Though facebook can be a good communication tool, it should not be the only one available.
Fortunately, there is a way to change it back and even hide that @facebook email address if you’d rather not use it. Go to your profile page, click the “About” link (“Info” if you are not using Timeline), scroll to the Contact section and click “Edit”. Then for each email address click the circle (or circle with line through it) to select whether to show or hide on your Timeline/Profile and save your changes.
That’s it … a pretty simple change that can have drastic implications for your business. If enough people change this back, hopefully Facebook will get the hint that nobody cares for or wants their lame email addresses. We have too many already!
