5 Ways to Better Secure Your Facebook Privacy

 Many people have Facebook accounts where they share their information and pictures with the public. Online social networking is seen as a good way of keeping up with friends, but it is not without its pitfalls. You might not realize that you could be posting pictures and information that might be considered inappropriate by employers, college admissions committees, and others. Depending what is posted on your profile, professionals may judge where you stand professionally. Here are five tips to maximize your privacy settings on Facebook.

·      Viewing your Facebook timeline under “View As…”

With the “View As..,” feature on your profile, you can view how your profile looks like to a specific Facebook friend or someone who is not your friend on Facebook (general public). If you want to access this feature, there is a drop-down menu when you click on the three dots next to “View Activity Log” button. This will give you a good idea of what the general public can see on your page.

·      Who can see your future posts

This is one of the most common privacy settings on Facebook. To use it, go to your privacy settings by clicking on the lock icon in the right-hand corner and click on “Who can see my stuff?” It will give you a drop-down menu and you can select which groups of people can see your posts. If you select public, then anyone can see your posts. If you select friends, only your Facebook friends can only see your posts.

·      Blocking people from your account

This is another common privacy feature on Facebook. If someone is harassing or threatening you, the best choice would be to block them. To access the blocking setting, click on the lock icon in the right-hand corner and click on “How do I stop someone from bothering me?” It will give you a blank space to type in a person’s name or e-mail address and they will be blocked from seeing your profile.

·      Disabling the search engine feature

If you are uncomfortable with your Facebook profile being searchable on the Internet, you can disable the feature, making it more difficult for employers to find you. Go to your privacy settings by clicking on the lock icon in the right-hand corner and click on “See More Settings.” A list will appear, and then you will need to click on “Do you want other search engines to link your timeline?” under “Who can look me up?”

·      Creating a pseudo name on Facebook

If you do not want employers and other professionals trying to search your name on Facebook, you can change your name. Most people change their last name to their middle name, or they abbreviate their first or last name. To change your name on Facebook, click on the upside down triangle icon, and click on “Settings” in the drop-down menu. Click on “Edit” under “Name” to change your Facebook name.

READERS, what do you think?

1.     What have you done to ensure that your Facebook account is secure and private?

2.     Have you used any of these techniques to protect your Facebook page? What about additional techniques covered in the original article? (See below.)

Reference:

Chowdhry, A. (2013, November 19). 20 Tips on Increasing Your Facebook Privacy and Security. Forbes.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2013/11/19/facebook-privacy-tips/3/.