Greenville, Texas Library Faces Facebook Link Cap Under Meta One Trial

Daniel Starks, communications manager for Greenville, Texas, recently discovered that the city library's official Facebook page had reached a monthly limit on sharing external links. The account, which serves a population of roughly 35,000, was restricted to two link posts per month. To exceed this cap, the page required a Meta One subscription costing at least $50 per month. Starks oversees nearly a dozen municipal pages and noted that more than half of his department's work involves directing residents to specific website information.

In response to the restriction, Starks directed staff to stop placing URLs directly in post bodies. Instead, he instructed them to add links in the comment sections, a method that remained unrestricted. He also created a graphic to inform followers of the new posting protocol. "When you have an official governmental entity that is trying to get out in some instances very, very, important information, and we're being paywalled by Facebook all because we're trying to post a link, that's a problem," Starks said.

Meta has tested paid linking features for nearly a year, initially through Meta Verified and now as a benefit of its AI-focused Meta One plans. The $14.99 monthly tier offers no extra Facebook links, while the $49.99 tier allows eight links per month. The $149.99 tier permits 20 links, and only the $499.99 tier provides unlimited access. Although Meta stated that government and nonprofit accounts should not be affected, multiple organizations reported encountering the limits.

Bethany English, co-president of the East Side Pawject in Indianapolis, faced a similar issue last week. Her organization, which operates pet food pantries for just under 1,000 followers, had already used its two allowed links for the month. To add a website link for an event, she would need the "expert" plan at $150 monthly. English is considering using dedicated Facebook events or asking board members to share links from their personal profiles, which are exempt from the restrictions.

Jeff Bannister, marketing manager at SparkPoint in North Carolina, described the $50 fee for eight links as "crazy." He said the return on investment "seems almost negative" for a small nonprofit focused on public health. He is exploring ways for local groups to share information directly to reduce reliance on the platform, though he noted that much of Transylvania County remains active on Facebook.

David Diskin, president of California Freethought Day, was quoted prices of $40 for eight links, $119 for 20, or $399 for unlimited access earlier this month. He learned of the limit days before his annual civic engagement event in Sacramento. The restriction was lifted this week without explanation. "It wasn't until after our big fundraiser had passed that they fixed the problem," Diskin said.

A Meta spokesperson said the company is testing whether sharing links should be part of the Meta One subscription. In an update on October 23, the spokesperson stated that pages must list "nonprofit" in the category section of their Facebook page for the company's systems to recognize their status. It remains unclear why organizations that state their status elsewhere or use Meta's fundraising tools are not identified.