Facebook Privacy - Revisited

Facebook has always been criticized for their privacy settings or "lack of privacy" settings.  It seems that when they routinely perform updates to their website, that your privacy settings get reset or randomly changed. 

And it's been unclear on exactly what people can and cannot see on your profile.  But recent changes allow you to see your privacy setting more clearly and you can even preview your profile as it appears publicly.  Here are some suggestions to keep your privacy the way you want on Facebook.

• Check your privacy settings every month - Go to Facebook and log in.  Select Account (upper right) then Privacy Settings.
• On the Privacy Settings, you can select a pre-configured setting such as Everyone (no privacy), Friends of Friends (less privacy), or Friends Only (more privacy).  There is also a Recommended setting but I wouldn't recommend it.  I prefer the Friends Only pre-configured setting.
• There is a check box to "Share a tagged post with friends of the friend I tagged" which you can select or not.  If you tag your friend Suzy, Suzy's friends will be notified that you tagged her.
• You can also customize your privacy settings by clicking Customize Settings link toward the bottom of the page.
• Next, click on the Connecting on Facebook - View Settings link in the middle of the page.  There are more privacy settings there. Note that regardless of the preconfigured settings, the privacy settings here need to be adjusted.
• Change the Search For You on Facebook setting to Friends Only to avoid being found by friends from high school or former boyfriends or girlfriends or ex-spouses.  Or leave it as Everyone so you can found by ... well, everyone.
• On the Customize Settings page, click on the Preview My Profile to see how your profile appears to the public.  Remember to look at this preview page through the eyes of a stranger or the person you least want looking at your Facebook profile such as an angry ex-spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend, debt collector, the creepy guy down the street, a competitor's attorney, your boss, etc. 

By monitoring and changing these settings, you will be keep your privacy the way you want it and avoid having your Facebook profile opened to the world.  Tip: put a reminder in your calendar to preview your profile at least monthly.