Manage your Facebook privacy and friends lists
— -- The social networking site Facebook recently hit an astonishing 200 million users. If you have an e-mail address and haven't received a Facebook invitation, chances are you will.
Maybe you're skeptical of Facebook. That's understandable. It is easy to reveal private information accidentally. And the flux of information from your contacts can be difficult to control.
Fortunately, Facebook provides a bevy of tools. Using them, you can get your profile under control in a few short minutes.
The benefits of Facebook
You've heard Facebook horror stories. Employees get fired for their postings. Teens use the site to bully other teens.
With this negative publicity, you may question Facebook's benefits. Simply, Facebook helps you stay connected with friends and family. Use it to share photos, chat and keep everyone updated on your life.
But, there's much more you can do with Facebook. You can use it for business networking and promoting your business. You can also track down long lost friends or follow your favorite celebrities.
Managing your privacy
Privacy is a big deal for many Facebook users, so most of what you do can't be seen outside Facebook.
But, your contacts see virtually everything you post or do on Facebook. You may want to limit what some contacts see.
To access your Facebook privacy settings, login to the site, go to menu bar and click Settings, then Privacy Settings.
First, click Search to access the Search Visibility box. This lets you specify who can find you through Facebook's search feature.
You may want to be searchable. You can still control what's visible in search results. For example, you can hide your profile picture and friend list.
You probably don't want your profile to appear in Google. So, deselect "Create a public search listing..."
You may decide to hide information like your e-mail address and phone number. On the Privacy Settings page, click Profile. In the Basic section, use the drop-down boxes to restrict content in your profile.
