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Is Facebook Down? Be Prepared When Facebook Goes Down

Lisa Sicard
is Facebook down today?

Do you know when Facebook goes down? Do you get frustrated wondering “is Facebook down Twitter down? ” You are not alone.

You’ve probably heard me and others often say “that you must have a blog for your business in case your rented space on social media ever went down.

It’s like putting all your eggs in one basket. You can’t rely just on any one social network anymore for all your needs.

It’s like putting all your money in one stock or bank. If something happens you could lose it all. We have heard that recently in 2024 with the small bank failures.

Are You Prepared If and When Facebook Goes Down Again?

I first wrote this blog post back in 2017 but from time to time when Facebook continues to go down for a period of time. This is especially frustrating for social media managers who schedule posts to go out at specific times.

And it is frustrating to others who rely on Facebook for so many reasons today.

How To Check If A Social Media Network Goes Down

A Down Detector works by constantly monitoring user reports and technical data to determine if a website like Facebook is experiencing issues or is functioning normally. It scans for patterns of reported outages or disruptions in the site’s performance, alerting users if there seems to be a problem.

By aggregating real-time feedback from users worldwide, the Down Detector can quickly pinpoint if a service is down or up, providing users with timely updates on the status of popular websites.

This real-time monitoring system helps users stay informed and take necessary actions if a website like Facebook is experiencing downtime.

To find out if: “Are there any current problems with Facebook?” use a down detector meter to check for Facebook.

Scroll down below here to check it out here on Inspire To Thrive:

You can even check “When was the last detected outage and how long did it last?”.

The Fail Whale of Long Ago

Remember the days when the fail whale would show up often on X Twitter? I would quickly move on to other social networks.

It was a reoccurring thing for a while there on X Twitter. But I didn’t leave X Twitter for long. Many others may have done it and headed over to Facebook back then.

It has been a long time since I’ve seen the old failed whale. I was very happy that it did not happen Saturday when many Facebook users took up to see what happened to Facebook on X Twitter.

Then, I read that many signed up for an X Twitter account on that day. It will be interesting to see if those new users stay on Twitter now.

The Day Facebook Stopped Working

This time the latest outage was bigger! It happened on March 13, 2019. (and again on July 3, 2019, October of 2021 and April of 2023.) Not only did Facebook go down, but Instagram, Whatsapp, and Facebook ads manager.

Apparently, it’s not over yet either. I tried this morning to do a few Facebook page posts and they were not working. That was what are the most common issues reported by users back in 2023.

The other day on Saturday back in 2017 Facebook and Instagram went down. I was out and about and didn’t notice as I was on before Facebook went down.

Later in the day I hopped onto X Twitter and noticed the trend: #Facebookdown. I was curious and had to see what was going on with Facebook and Instagram.

Many people get their news just from Facebook today. According to Pew Research, 45% of Americans get their news from Facebook today.

Hence, that is up 1% from 2017 when I first wrote this blog post on the topic.

The Tweets From The Day When Facebook Crashed In 2017

I then took a poll to see what people were doing instead that day when Facebook went down.

Why Didn’t Facebook Let Business Users Know First?

I was curious why hadn’t Facebook let its business users know that the site had gone down. Especially since many rely on Facebook advertising today for their marketing messages.

Being in marketing for most of my life I wondered what if people were running open house ads or special sales for that day only?

You can check here about getting a refund for future events.

All those marketing messages would not be getting out with #Facebookdown. They could have sent out a post that you may experience an outage on such a date for such an amount of time.

I think that would have gone over well and Twitter would not have been buzzing all about it as such.

Why The Problems?

From what I’ve read so far Facebook went down due to coding. They were upgrading the site. Not only did Facebook go down but since they own Instagram and Messenger they too were also down.

According to one source, Facebook just said they were doing maintenance.

It will be interesting to see if Facebook comes out with a statement on this and when. Over the years, there have been numerous outages and upgrades to their platforms.

How To Be Prepared When Facebook Goes Down Again

There are over 3 billion daily active users now using Facebook. Yes, you read that right, it is over 3 billion per day! 

Sure, Facebook is great to keep up with family and friends. But if you are a blogger or a small business owner you must explore other options. Don’t count on a big giant social network for all your messages and marketing.

You need your own “home” with a blog that is self-hosted. Of course, things happen with those too but you can at least know in advance most of the time and get it fixed quickly.

When you are using a rented space you never know what may happen like being censored on them.

They may increase the rent, kick you out or go out of business altogether. We never know when a company will go out of business like the social sharing site Co-Promote did a while back.

Do you remember TSU trying to compete with X Twitter? They too are now gone with Google Plus.

Try to get yourself on other social networks. You should really target 3 social networks to get really comfortable on.

Any more than 3 social networks and you may feel overwhelmed. Learn one at a time before going on to another site.

More Bad News For Facebook On That Same Day

However, recently Facebook stats have gotten better.

According to Demand Sage, Facebook has 2.96 billion monthly active users as of 2023, which is a 2% increase year-over-year. The majority of users are from India followed by the United States in 2023.

Now in 2024 the numbers have continued to grow and are over 3.05 billion users on the Meta network.

The stats go on to say that 2.064 billion users access Facebook every day, which accounts for 68.11% of the platform’s monthly active users.

Tips To Be Prepared The Next Time It Happens

Using a social media management tool like Agorapulse will help you schedule even when Facebook may not be working.

Conclusion: When Facebook Goes Down, What Will You Do

Never rely just on one social network for all of your needs. You will want to have your contacts on your favorite channels in a spreadsheet with email or phone numbers.

Did you have trouble anytime Facebook or Instagram went down? What did you do? I’d love to know more in the comments below if you are ready for the next time it may go down.

Facebook Downtime FAQs

Is FB down right now?

Check real-time status on websites like Downdetector or IsItDownRightNow. Social media platforms like X Twitter often have updates from users too.

Why can’t I access Facebook?

Network issues, server maintenance, or a Facebook outage could be causing problems. Double-check your internet connection and try restarting your device.

How can I find out if Meta is down?

Visit Facebook’s official Twitter account or their status page for updates. Independent status checker websites also provide real-time info.

What should I do if FB is down?

Stay calm. Wait for official updates from Facebook. You can also check other social media platforms for information from users.

Are there common issues when Facebook goes down?

Problems with logging in, posting updates, loading the news feed, and sending messages are common during outages.

Will my data be affected during a Facebook outage?

Usually, your data remains safe. Facebook’s outages typically don’t impact stored data.

Can I report an issue if FB is down?

During widespread outages, Facebook is likely already aware. However, you can report smaller bugs via their Help Center when the site is accessible.

How often does Facebook experience downtime?

While not frequent, Facebook does experience occasional outages due to server issues or maintenance.

How long does an outage usually last?

Outage durations vary. Minor issues could be resolved in minutes, while larger problems might take several hours.

Can I prevent issues when it goes down?

You can’t control Facebook’s uptime, but staying informed through other social media or news outlets helps you know when it’s back up.

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