Facebook Privacy Settings, How to Change Them

Many of you have asked me how to adjust the privacy settings for your Facebook personal profiles. Facebook tends to make changes to this feature a lot, so it’s good to go in every now and then and make sure your are set the way you want them.

Here’s a Step-By-Step guide to customizing your privacy settings:

Click the Account tab in upper right corner of your page, and select “Privacy Settings.”

Under the Connect on Facebook header, click “View Settings” to view and change what people see when they search for you on Facebook.

Anyone can search for your Facebook page, so it is important you only display appropriate content—your potential employers don’t need to hear about your hangover or see pictures from that weekend in Vegas. And, as Facebook becomes a more prominent tool for business networking, it is a good idea to keep it professional.

Go through each setting and select “Everyone,” “Friends of Friends,” “Friends Only” or “Customize.” The “Customize” option will allow you to adjust your settings to specifically show or hide your activity from certain friends.

To control the settings on what you share on Facebook, click “Back to Privacy” in the upper left corner.

Under the “Things I Share” heading, you can customize who sees what you post on Facebook. This includes photos, videos, status updates and information about your likes, connections and relationships.

“Things Others Share” is where you control who views what friends post and share on your profile—wall posts, pictures and comments.

Lastly, it is also very important that you adjust the Privacy Settings for your “Contact Information.” For example, it is a good idea to make your address and phone number visible to “Friends Only.”

At the bottom of the “Things I Share” section, there is a link that will allow you to change the privacy settings on your existing videos and photo albums.

I suggest keeping your profile picture visible to make it easier for friends and family to find you. The privacy of other albums you share is up to you, but again, remember to keep it professional!

If you have any problems with your privacy settings or have any other questions about Facebook…Just Ask Betsy!

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Privacy, Facebook Privacy Settings

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 at 2:02 pm and is filed under Facebook. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.