FACEBOOK: How to Set your Privacy Settings

When you are using Facebook for business reasons, it is of utmost importance to optimize your profile settings. Part of optimizing your Facebook account for business use, is to set your Facebook Privacy Settings correctly, so that only the right people can find you.

Who are the “right” people?  Basically, anyone whom you specifically want to find you:  Especially (since you’re a business) potential list members and customers.

Don’t just accept the default privacy settings, however – some of them are not set up in your best interests!  (They’re set up in Facebook’s best interests.)

When you click on “Control what information you share”, it will not take you to your settings, but to information about Facebook Privacy.  It’s a section worth reading, but it’s not clear on certain essentials you need to know; nor does it tell you how to change these settings.

Follow these simple steps to set-up your Privacy Setting correctly and you’ll take care of the biggest security “leaks” – even if you really do want everyone to see everything!

Step One:  Go up to the word “Account” in the blue menu bar at the top of the page (Right Top Corner).  Click on it, and a menu will drop down…

Step Two:   Select “Privacy Settings” from that drop-down menu.  You will be taken to a new page.

Go straight down to the small blue words “Customize settings” (circled in orange here) and click on that link.  You’ll be taken to another new page…

Each one of the buttons with the little lock symbols has a drop-down menu, as you can see by the little downward arrows beside the words they contain.

Step Three: Before you touch any of these buttons, however, go straight down to the end of the “Things I share” section.  You’ll see it is enabled (checked) by default.

This means people can identify the precise geographic location you’re typing from. Unless you’re on a World Tour and you want to update your fans on your physical progress, you’ll most likely want to disable that by unchecking the “Enable” box.

What’s the danger of leaving it enabled?  Well, it then displays your profile thumbnail photo while pinpointing you on an actual map!

Step Four: Go back to the top and (using the drop-down options) select the settings you prefer for each section.  There is no “wrong or right” for these selections – just what works for your degree of comfort, taking into account how accessible you want to be to the general public.  (If you’re a business, the less restricted your settings, the better – but you’ll definitely want to strictly control information that is:

• Strictly personal
• Irrelevant to your niche
• Uninteresting to your niche

You’ll notice there is a fourth category in the drop-down options – “Customize”.  This category allows you to post to specific groups or individuals on a one-time, post-by-post basis.

“Customize” overrides your default post settings.

Note that (depending on other settings) people outside your specs may still see your post, if you allow them to see your Wall (news feed).  It’s always best to assume that nothing is ever private, once it’s posted on the net!  But “Customized” specific settings ought to block all but the most determined seeker from seeing things you don’t want them to see.

Another privacy setting for uploading photograph albums can be found immediately below the “Include me in “People Here Now” after I check in” section:

Don’t forget about this section, when you’re uploading photographs in future.  It can be really useful if you don’t want Joe Public to see the million-and-one personal photos you’re uploading for your overseas relatives to pore over.

What you need to hide from “Everyone” (recommended):

• Your birth date (or birth year, at the very least)
• Photos you are “tagged” in
• Your home address
• Your home phone
• Mobile phone

These simple, easy to follow step-by-step instructions for Facebook Privacy Settings is an extract from the Facebook Starter Guide which provides screen shots with each listed step.

When using Facebook for Business it is vital to set-up your Facebook account correctly to: 

• Make the most of Facebook’s incredible social power.
• Prevent you from getting banned from Facebook (by unwittingly violating one of their rules)
• Keep you, your family and computer safe and secure
• Allow potential customers and list members to find you
• Help you brand yourself and/or your business

Visit the Facebook for Business Starter Kit and optimize Facebook for success in 2011!