fawwaxs
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Facebook has become a permanent part of our lives. We get up every morning and check Facebook at the first chance we get and then keep logging in on it throughout the day; changing statuses, writing on each others walls, uploading and tagging pictures and stalking and commenting on others pictures.
Facebook is a whole new world in itself, a little artificial but a world in which we are so deeply engulfed that we fail to realise that this fun social networking site can be harmful as well! People all around the world are oversharing personal information on Facebook without even thinking before doing so.
When we think about it, the first thing that comes to mind is what can we do? We cant just quit Facebook for the sake of being safe and we dont have to do that either. All you need to do is take some precautionary steps while using Facebook and you are all set to have fun. Luckily, Facebook offers a lot of security and privacy options, with which you can decide who can see your information and who cant. If you use Facebook properly you will never have to worry about anything, however, the problem is that these security controls might be a little too technical at times. Heres what to do.
Make friends lists
Go to the Friends tab on the Facebook home page and click on Create a new list and then type the names of the friends you want to select for that particular list and keep selecting them. This is how simple it is to make a friends list. Make a separate one for close friends, one for family, and one for co-workers, class fellows and so on! It might take you a while to divide all your friends into different groups but once you do, more than half of your job will be done! When you are done making the lists you can easily choose who can see what and who cant.
Who can see what on your profile
Facebook users usually ignore one of the most important menus available the settings option, whereas this option is technically your helper and well wisher on Facebook. Move your mouse to the extreme right upper corner of your profile which says Account, click on Privacy settings from there and then select Profile. This option helps you select who can see what on your profile and you can also check what your profile looks like to others. Think wisely before you make these settings. Make sure your pictures arent viewable for everyone because there are all sorts of people on Facebook, some which might misuse your pictures too! Furthermore, you may not want to show all your pictures to all who are on your list, well, put them on a limited profile! Nothing should be available for everyone!
Block people
You can also block people and then they will not be able to see you even if they search you. You will become invisible to them and so will your posts, tags, etc. This option is for those whom you dont know or may not want to be connected with but keep bugging you by adding you, if you block them once they wont even be able to add you again! People can be blocked by typing their names and selecting their profiles in the block list. Block list is present in Privacy settings under the Account option.
Personal information
If your address and telephone number are not needed on Facebook, dont put them there! Make sure you think well before sharing such personal information on Facebook because it can be misused! Even if you have very few people on your Facebook account, it can be dangerous. Think of it this way, your friends account gets hacked or they leave it logged in by mistake on a public computer, your info is available to the next user who might be dangerous and capable of harming you.
Public searching
See if you need public searching and if you want to be Google-d because if you select that option your current display picture becomes visible for all those who even arent on Facebook. All they need to do is just Google your Facebook name! If you are sick of getting friendship requests from old acquaintances that you dont even remember anymore or simply random people, you can always switch off public searching!
Stay away from unknown applications
Applications and quizzes seem a lot of fun and they are to an extent, but do you know when you accept an application or consent to a quiz you are giving them authority to view your profile and information? Im not telling you to stop taking quizzes and avoid all those fun and attractive applications but use them and delete them off your Facebook within a short period of time. Put all the fan pages you have joined on limited profile by going on your friends list, selecting them and then clicking on limited profile.
Thats all you need to do in order to be safe on Facebook! So what are you waiting for? Spend an hour and fix all these settings, then you are free to use Facebook as much as you want without any fear. Have fun on Facebook while staying safe!
DAWN.COM | Young World | Insight: Stay safe on Facebook!
Facebook is a whole new world in itself, a little artificial but a world in which we are so deeply engulfed that we fail to realise that this fun social networking site can be harmful as well! People all around the world are oversharing personal information on Facebook without even thinking before doing so.
When we think about it, the first thing that comes to mind is what can we do? We cant just quit Facebook for the sake of being safe and we dont have to do that either. All you need to do is take some precautionary steps while using Facebook and you are all set to have fun. Luckily, Facebook offers a lot of security and privacy options, with which you can decide who can see your information and who cant. If you use Facebook properly you will never have to worry about anything, however, the problem is that these security controls might be a little too technical at times. Heres what to do.
Make friends lists
Go to the Friends tab on the Facebook home page and click on Create a new list and then type the names of the friends you want to select for that particular list and keep selecting them. This is how simple it is to make a friends list. Make a separate one for close friends, one for family, and one for co-workers, class fellows and so on! It might take you a while to divide all your friends into different groups but once you do, more than half of your job will be done! When you are done making the lists you can easily choose who can see what and who cant.
Who can see what on your profile
Facebook users usually ignore one of the most important menus available the settings option, whereas this option is technically your helper and well wisher on Facebook. Move your mouse to the extreme right upper corner of your profile which says Account, click on Privacy settings from there and then select Profile. This option helps you select who can see what on your profile and you can also check what your profile looks like to others. Think wisely before you make these settings. Make sure your pictures arent viewable for everyone because there are all sorts of people on Facebook, some which might misuse your pictures too! Furthermore, you may not want to show all your pictures to all who are on your list, well, put them on a limited profile! Nothing should be available for everyone!
Block people
You can also block people and then they will not be able to see you even if they search you. You will become invisible to them and so will your posts, tags, etc. This option is for those whom you dont know or may not want to be connected with but keep bugging you by adding you, if you block them once they wont even be able to add you again! People can be blocked by typing their names and selecting their profiles in the block list. Block list is present in Privacy settings under the Account option.
Personal information
If your address and telephone number are not needed on Facebook, dont put them there! Make sure you think well before sharing such personal information on Facebook because it can be misused! Even if you have very few people on your Facebook account, it can be dangerous. Think of it this way, your friends account gets hacked or they leave it logged in by mistake on a public computer, your info is available to the next user who might be dangerous and capable of harming you.
Public searching
See if you need public searching and if you want to be Google-d because if you select that option your current display picture becomes visible for all those who even arent on Facebook. All they need to do is just Google your Facebook name! If you are sick of getting friendship requests from old acquaintances that you dont even remember anymore or simply random people, you can always switch off public searching!
Stay away from unknown applications
Applications and quizzes seem a lot of fun and they are to an extent, but do you know when you accept an application or consent to a quiz you are giving them authority to view your profile and information? Im not telling you to stop taking quizzes and avoid all those fun and attractive applications but use them and delete them off your Facebook within a short period of time. Put all the fan pages you have joined on limited profile by going on your friends list, selecting them and then clicking on limited profile.
Thats all you need to do in order to be safe on Facebook! So what are you waiting for? Spend an hour and fix all these settings, then you are free to use Facebook as much as you want without any fear. Have fun on Facebook while staying safe!
DAWN.COM | Young World | Insight: Stay safe on Facebook!
