5 Facebook Mistakes to Fix

Facebook has become part of our daily routine.  We use it to connect with friends and family, share photos and news and support our favorite brands and businesses.  Did you know Facebookâ??s main goal is selling advertising based on the information it harvests from users?  Itâ??s important to protect yourself and your family by staying up to date on all of the latest privacy practices.  Keep in mind these five tips:

  1. Facebook Search – Did you know Facebook keeps a record of your entire site search history?  Clearing your search history is easy, simply visit your activity log. click â??Moreâ? in the left hand side-bar and then click on Search.  This will display your recent search history and give you the option to clear your history.
  2. Advertising – Facebookâ??s terms of service allow your profile image to be used if youâ??ve â??likedâ? a page or â??checked inâ? at a particular location.  To unlike pages or hide them from your timeline simply visit your activity log and click on â??Likes.â?  This will display all the pages and products you have liked and give you the option to remove them.
  3. Privacy Settings – Your privacy settings control who can see your posts on Facebook.  Make sure you set all of these to â??friends only.â?  You can even create custom friends lists so that only your close Facebook friends can see what you post.  Never add somebody you donâ??t know.
  4. For Parents – Know what your children are doing on Facebook.  Facebook used to be restricted to college-aged students but now virtually anyone can create a Facebook page.  Keep an open dialogue with your children on what they are posting on Facebook and encourage them to set up strict privacy settings so only their trusted friends can see what theyâ??re posting.
  5. Plan Ahead – While you may not have thought about this before, your Facebook is still going to exist after you pass away.  Take this into consideration and make sure you have a plan of action so that your loved ones can deactivate your account or â??memorializeâ? your page in the case of your death.

Facebook is a great tool for staying in touch, sharing with others and engaging in the global conversation.  However, the more information you share the more you are opening yourself up to the world.  Many consumers are not protecting themselves simply because they do not know how to.  Keep in mind these best practices for the utmost online safety.

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A digital marketing expert nationally recognized as the â??webdoc,â? and is the technology correspondent for ABC 7 News and SNN6 where he provides technology advice, website reviews and product news.
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