3 Aug
2009
Yesterday I mistakenly posted something to my FaceBook status that I thought was a private message to a friend. I was using Twitter to "chat" with my friend. However, I have Twitter linked to my FaceBook account, so that "tweets" update my status on Facebook.
Fortunately, my friend alerted me to the public post and I took it down right away. However, the mistake prompted me to look more closely at controlling who sees what on FaceBook.
I spent hours going through privacy settings and found that creating a new list helped me control my privacy. Here's how it works. Create a new list on Facebook. Let's say you call it "controlled". Click on the "Friends" tab. You'll see your friends listed. On the right side is a pull down that says "add to list". From here you can create a "controlled" list. It's painstaking to do this, but go through all your friends and decide what lists you want them on. In the process of doing this, I "cleaned" up my friends list, eliminating nearly 100 people I didn't really know who I had become "friends" with over the years.
After friends are in their lists, go to the "settings" page, and then to "privacy". You can manage who sees what from there. Be sure to go through each setting. For example, under "Status and Links" I checked the radio button for "Only Friends", but also in "except these" I added the lists of friends I don't want to see my every update. I did the same for "Wall Posts".
There are advantages to going through this process.
1) Genuine privacy. Admittedly, Facebook is a nice way to stay in touch with an array of friends and constituents. Sometimes. however, you don't want all your Facebook friends to know everything about you. And, it's good practice to not let some people know all your activities, for example, your travel whereabouts, and the like.
2) Some information is acceptable to certain friends, and sensitive for others.
It's worthwhile spending time on the
Facebook Blog to learn more about privacy and security.
