Facebook: Government and nonprofit pages hit with link limits

A city library in Texas can post only two links per month on its official Facebook page before it must pay a fee. Daniel Starks, the communications manager for Greenville, Texas, oversees nearly a dozen city pages. The city serves a population of about 35,000. Starks received a notice that the library page had exhausted its two monthly links. Any additional links require a Meta One subscription. The cost starts at $50 per month.

The library page is verified by Meta and identifies itself as a government building. Starks said more than half of the city's digital communication involves directing residents to its website. He instructed staff to stop placing links in main posts. Instead, they now paste URLs into the comment sections. He created a graphic to inform followers of this change. He called the restriction a problem for an official entity trying to share important information.

Small nonprofits are facing similar barriers. Bethany English, co-president of East Side Pawject in Indianapolis, organizes pet food pantries. Her group has just under 1,000 followers. Last week, she could not add a website link to an event post because the two monthly links were used up. An expert plan allowing 20 links costs her $150. English is considering using Facebook events or asking board members to post links from their personal profiles, which are exempt.

Meta has tested paid linking for nearly a year. The feature began with Meta Verified and is now part of Meta One plans. The $14.99 tier offers no extra Facebook links. The $49.99 tier allows eight links per month. The $149.99 tier allows 20 links. Only the $499.99 tier offers unlimited links. Jeff Bannister, a marketing manager for a North Carolina nonprofit, called the $50 price for eight links crazy. He said the return on investment seems almost negative.

Confusion surrounds the rules. Some users can post links in comments while others cannot. Meta's help center does not explicitly state that the link restriction is a test. The company describes Meta One as providing specialized capabilities and AI features. Adding a URL to a post is a basic function that requires no AI. David Diskin, president of California Freethought Day, was told of the limit earlier this month. He was quoted prices ranging from $40 to $399. The restriction was lifted this week without explanation. Diskin said the problem was fixed only after their big fundraiser had passed.

A Meta spokesperson said the company is testing whether sharing links should be part of the Meta One subscription. The company will keep evolving the experience based on feedback. On October 23, the spokesperson noted that pages must list nonprofit in the category section for Meta's systems to recognize them. It remains unclear why organizations that state their status elsewhere are not identified.