The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide - Securing your profile page (Sept. 2011)

by Zack Whittaker  |  January 3, 2011 2:41am PST  |  Image 1 of 12

Previous  |  Next

guide-2-cover.png

Guide 2: Securing your profile page

This guide will guide you through your profile content settings, which have changed significantly since the last Lockdown guide. The account settings has control over who posts on your Wall, who can see your private contact information and other very personal information. This guide will help you limit certain features whilst protecting your privacy from beyond your friends list.

--
This is gallery 2 of 5. To see more gallery guides, from profile settings to privacy settings, visit the Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide (Sept. 2011) for all the resources you need.

 

51
Comments

Join the conversation!

Just In

RE: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide - Securing your profile page
toxbch 19th Oct
I think this is gresat but agree a pdf file of all parts would be handy!
This is a much needed article.

It shows exactly where to change setting. However, it does not tell how to get there. Please add UI navigation information. Thanks.
@pwatson
this is where common sense prevails. if people can't work out to click on 'account' and read the menu that appears, i feel they shouldn't be using a computer
@techguru@...
Hey, we're not all geniuses like you think you are. Now back away from that computer before you hurt yourself.
@techguru@... So my 72 year old mother shouldn't be allowed to use her computer because YOU don't think she's smart enough? You're no Guru.
I agree. The information is much needed. But even more needed (and not shown) is how to access the settings described. Without describing how to access the settings, the article is rather useless. sad
It would be helpful if this information were made available in a PDF File. While the information is exceellent; there are too many pages to scroll through to capture all the settings in it's entirety.
0 Votes
+ -
@Tom Neri
I agree: all that in a pdf-file for download would be best, esp. for people with slow connections or older operating systems. Thanks for the work!
These UK pages are just different enough from their American counterparts to be annoying.
Content - good, apparently.
Site - slow (or images - big?).
Usability - poor.
I got bored after the 4th page due to slow downloads and lack of 'flow'.
Would be nice to download this in a pdf file... I'm not a fan of clicking thru this quagmire to find what I want.
@Rob S. I'm looking into this. Preliminary draft already done - just needs editorial on it.
@zwhittaker - Any idea when and where it will be available?
@zwhittaker
I also would like to get a copy of the PDF, when it is ready. I also volunteer to act as a "reviewer," if that would be helpful.
@zwhittaker When the PDF is ready to go, are you going to let those that want that file made aware that its available?
@zwhittaker
Thanks - will you publish it here? I would like to send it out to all users in my school district - they will read it in a pdf, but not click through all the screens.
but you would miss all the wondrous advertising !!
Very helpful information. Would be more helpful if I was shown
how to access the settings,Would be nice to download this in a pdf file where I could print it out and be able to perform the steps without having to jump between this article and facebook to make the changes.
More than a few people have requested "navigation" or how the hell to do I get to this feature! And..... NO RESPONSE from the author. HEY WAKE THE HELL UP AND DO SOMETHING THAT IS ACTUALLY USEFUL!!!!
@dmech
it's not that difficult, stop yelling , calm down and look at your facebook page. read the buttons. use your brain and think which button do i click to change things about my 'ACCOUNT'

then simply follow the menu. if too hard close computer and use phone to talk to friends
@techguru@... But account does not go to the page being displayed. I tried all the buttons. Is this unique to the UK version of facebook?
Click the Home Page. It will be on the Newsfeed automatically. Then go to top right MOST RECENT. Open the window. Click * EDIT OPTIONS at the bottom of the list. happy
@blueline1953

Maybe for you. Mine only allows me to filter out specific people or apps. It doesn't allow me to "Show More" which would be helpful since Facebook clearly needs to work on its social engineering algorithms.
much too complicated instructions - think of the novice, not someone who already is expert at dealing with the hundreds of settings of facebook
@cabanossi
life is complicated, address each setting one at a time.
maybe do a couple each day.
@cabanossi Gripe at Facebook... that's where the fault obviously lies... not the guy who's trying to help you!
0 Votes
+ -
I shared this page in my FB posting, and now, I'm seeing my FB profile pic and account name under your "Facebook Activity".....seems this is some type of Facebook "social plugin". I'd want to share your page with my friends, but not necessarily share myself with EVERYONE visiting your site. Is this plugin thing only visible to me, or to you and everyone too. If it is, how can I delete it, yet still share your page???
0 Votes
+ -
It's actually very easy...
james347 31st Jan 2011
...just don't use Faceplant.
0 Votes
+ -
How to secure facebook
rick@... 31st Jan 2011
When logged into facebook, look at the upper right screen area for 'Account' and then move down to the 'Account Settings' option. At the bottom of the next screen you have the option to 'Deactivate Account'. Follow the onscreen prompts to secure your account.
Or maybe you were not really serious ?
0 Votes
+ -
Too bloody hard.. I'm a very casual facebook user (only have one to attempt to stay in contact with my son overseas). and certainly don't know my way around the multiple options menus, so I find this guide which I thought was going to be a good thing in actual fact useless because I can't find out where the different boxes have come from.....
Before you computer users complain about this article, you really need to examine every nook and corner of a Facebook page and the instructions for using the website. Many of you got computers and don't understand a thing about online safety. Learn how your operating system works and how your browsers works, maybe you won't complain so darn much. Read Read and read somemore until you understand.
Sure would be nice to be able to print the guide without contortions.
I agree on both sides, a) Please produce a pdf so I can print this off and give to my new staff. b) A good article but not every user knows how to access their account. Remember a lot of Facebook users are "End Users" someone showed them how to create account and log on and that's it. Don't criticise them for wanting to learn how to be "Net Savvy" - Applaud and encourage them!. c) If you are technically proficient and have read this far, instead of criticising the excellent work of the author, try helping! (@dmech)
Lastly (@huygens1962) - we Brits have to put up with incorrect spelling and grammar due to MS Operating systems and MS Office being installed with default US English selected.
Hurray for articles like this!
I am going to lock down everything!
I consider my self fairly computer savvy, but I can't for the friggin life of me find these gd pages!!!!!!!!!
I don't have this option. My edit settings for newsfeed look nothing like this!
It might be nice if someone would post some download links.
This is very interesting and helpful.
Interesting articles but it would me more helpful to provide all these 4 guides in one PDF file to read them faster and be more productive as ZDNet suggests....
Just go in to account -- account settings--privacy settings--and figure the rest out from there ain't that hard you can also put extra security on fb to send u a txt MSG if ur account is accessed from an unknown device very handy and works great
The instructions are very poorly set up. They recommend certain settings, but do not explain how to get to the menus and dialogs shown on the screen. For example, you have to go all the way to the bottom of your news feed page and click on "Edit Options" to get to the "News Feed Settings." I had to do a Google search to find that out. We are not mind readers!
common sense stuff, not rocket science, info maybe for a 5 year old, but still useful in some ways
0 Votes
+ -
Hiding things from Larry
Joe-Taylor-7 24th Jun
Zack - why are you hiding stuff from Larry Dignan? Not want the boss to know what you're saying wink
@Joe-Taylor-7 Ha! I was just using him as an example. For the record, he can see everything on my Facebook. And I mean, everything.
One thing I discovered fairly recently (since I've used the "Most Recent" newsfeed style in lieu of "Top News") is that if I make a snarky comment in support of a post by, say, Huffington Post, all my friends (using "Top News") see it, too, regardless of whether they follow HuffPost. Obviously if they follow HuffPost I don't care if they see it, but it just feels too pervasive for everyone to automatically get fed everything I post everywhere.

Any workaround you know of for that?
In the mean time while we're all waiting for the .pdf, Firefox has about 8 add-on's, some of which deal with security issues. And this isn't the only article on the Internet on it. As I tell everyone who ever asks me a question, "Use Google."
I agree with Tom Neri it would really be helpful to have this in PDF it would be immensely more useful to more users. Let's do it!!!
Agree about the desirability of PDF!
0 Votes
+ -
There will be no PDF
elvey 9th Sep
There's a reason why this is split up to appear on so many pages. More page loads means more ad impressions means more money for ZDNet. Which is why they have so many articles like this with ridiculous page counts - e.g. articles with dozens of photos.
I think this is gresat but agree a pdf file of all parts wou;ld be handy!
I think this is gresat but agree a pdf file of all parts would be handy!

Join the conversation!

Formatting +
BB Codes - Note: HTML is not supported in forums
  • [b] Bold [/b]
  • [i] Italic [/i]
  • [u] Underline [/u]
  • [s] Strikethrough [/s]
  • [q] "Quote" [/q]
  • [ol][*] 1. Ordered List [/ol]
  • [ul][*] · Unordered List [/ul]
  • [pre] Preformat [/pre]
  • [quote] "Blockquote" [/quote]
ie8 fix

The best of ZDNet, delivered

ZDNet Newsletters

Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox

Facebook Activity