Facebook Privacy Settings

Author:  Sylwia  Presley,  January  2010  

Introduction

Facebook privacy settings allow you to define access to the information you share with your networks.

It is crucial to understand the implications your behaviour in this social network will have on your friends, so please make sure you check and set up your privacy settings.

Be considerate when you tag your friends on Facebook. Every single element of your shared and tagged content will appear on their profiles visible to their contacts.

Privacy Settings

Facebook privacy settings have four pre-defined sets. You can access them from the top right corner of your screen.

Pre-Defined Privacy Settings

“Everyone” – everyone on Facebook can access all your content.

Pre-Defined Privacy Settings

“Friends of friends” restricts access to your content to the second level of friends.

Pre-Defined Privacy Settings

“Friends only” allows access to your content only to your direct friends.

Pre-Defined Privacy Settings

You can also find suggested set of settings.

Customised Privacy Settings

We strongly advice choosing one of the pre-defined sets of settings for a start. Later, to ensure you have full control over your information, do use “customise settings” option.

Customised Privacy Settings

Here you will be able to choose specific access to each type of your content and information. Make sure you check settings of your photos and videos too.

Customised Privacy Settings

You will be able to edit settings of all your albums separately. You can also drill down to “customise” option…

Customised Privacy Settings

…in order to allow specific friends of yours to access particular album.

Customised Privacy Settings All you need to do now is start typing to find your friends. Make sure you save all settings.

Privacy Settings and Contact Lists

You can also manage privacy by creating lists of contacts with various levels of access to your account. First, go to your friends to create a list.

Privacy Settings and Contact Lists

Name your list and start typing to find and add your friends. Save changes with “Create List” button.

Privacy Settings and Contact Lists

Go back to your privacy settings to customise any element of it. Choose the option of “specific people”…

Privacy Settings and Contact Lists

…and start typing the name of your newly created list. It will appear on the list of your contacts here. Save it to define that this particular element of your profile can be viewed only by this particular list of your friends.

Privacy Settings for Apps

Facebook is an open platform, so make sure you control how 3rd party applications handle your information. Go back to the main screen of your settings.

Privacy Settings for Apps

Carefully choose the right access levels for all apps here and save the settings.

More on Privacy Settings

Facebook privacy settings are explained in more detail within the network.

More on Privacy Settings

Facebook has dedicated this area to explain privacy in more detail.

http://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation.php

More on Privacy Settings

If in doubt check the video tutorials posted in this area and ask questions in comments section.

Contact

If you have any comments please contact:

Sylwia Presley E-mail: sylwiapresley@nfpvoice.com Mobile: 07850 138 178 Twitter: @presleysylwia and @nfpvoice Skype: sylwia.presley