I appreciate Facebook just as much as the next person. But I have a problem: I cannot for love or money fix my fan Page. Like the Great Oz, Facebook can speak to us, but we can’t speak to it – no matter how many times we fill out the little window we’re supposed to use.

So I am pleading my case:  I need Facebook to help me access my Family Field Guide fan page so I can post on it – www.facebook.com/familyfieldguide. It’s been perhaps a week since the page has been blurred out. As it happens, a huge FB ad occupies the middle of it, and now I can’t click on anything except the ad’s eventual directive to start a “business account.”  (You get there once you click through.) There is no other option. However, since I am not a business, just a humble parenting page that makes no money whatsoever, I will not open such an account.

My own personal FB page (timeline, whatever it’s called) is something I never use; I don’t care about amassing “friends.” I care about connecting families – moms and dads and grandparents and aunties – with helpful information. It’s what I’ve done for a very long time.

Below you can see the ad in question. But first allow me to clarify: I am a resource Page. I also write a WordPress blog about family issues like raising emotionally healthy children. Sometimes I write about cooking, or current events, or politics, as they relate to children and their families. I have never been banned from Facebook. Once upon a time my Page was connected to this website. You could click on the FB icon and get there. But somehow that connection is no more. (Is this something FB wants me to fix? I just learned today that someone can comment on my Page, but their comments only appear under “Notifications.” Also, it’s impossible to click on it and link to my website. Here’s what it looks like:

Meanwhile,  I am frustrated. I don’t need to know about “audience trends,” “age and location,” or my “top-preforming content.” And I’m tired of dealing with the mess after a relatively problem-free 10-year relationship. Basically, I’m really sad.

And even though the ad says, “If you change your mind, you can go back to using the classic Pages experience,” I am wondering, why is this necessary?

I would be ever so appreciative if someone from Facebook would PM me, send me an email – whatever. I know we can figure this out.

Here’s the ad: