Wait, WHAT? Charging Pages to link out to the open web is a big shift for anyone who publishes, and every site owner should watch this one closely. This doesn’t make much sense to me. If Meta wants people to interact more with its platform (e.g., Facebook), it shouldn’t put up barricades like this. This is a reverse paywall, as publishers and Facebook Page owners will simply look to alternative posting properties (e.g., other social media, Substack, Reddit, Discord, and the like).
I have a Facebook Page for HighTechDad. It’s not very active, but I share links to articles and videos I have produced to expand my reach. With this pay-to-post model, I will be forced to pivot to other “friendlier” social platforms.
I’m hoping to understand the logic behind this. Sure, deep-pocketed brands may be able to afford this, but I feel small businesses will be forced to look elsewhere. Nonprofits will have to publicly declare on their page that they are nonprofits, and somehow they will have to be vetted.