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/.
