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I hope you enjoyed my first 'How to' video!  Sorry about the birds chirping.  Hopefully that made it more entertaining.

News came out earlier this week that Facebook will start developing Facebook pages that will be available for kids younger than 13.  WHAT?!!  I guess that's one easy way to increase their total subscriber numbers.  One thing is for sure.

Facebook is not going away!

Kids need to know how to use it an Parents need to be aware of HOW their kids are using it.

Why friends only?

I mentioned over and over “Select Friends only” in my video cast.  Sometimes it would be nice for friends of friends to see a cute picture or post.  HOWEVER, lets do the math.

I have about 600 friends on Facebook.  Each of those friends probably have at least 400+ friends on Facebook.  If I list something to be viewable as “Friends of Friends” then I have distributed my status, picture, location, to 240,000 people!  (Here's the math: 600 x 400 = 240,000).  I know that Facebook has analystics and regression equations so not ALL of my friends will 'see' the post in their newfeed.  It's still just a little too public for my comfort level.

How much of my profile is Public?

Even if you select 'Friends' as your profile security status, your friends my have a public profile and tag in you in a picture.  In the video, I showed how to change any of those tags to be changed on historic posts on your timeline to your default setting.  More and more colleges and companies looking at potential applicants are crawling the web to see their 'online profile.'  Be aware of what your kids are posting and whether or not they are 'public' because those images, status updates, etc.. may be part of some review.

How often should I review Privacy Settings?

At least every six months.  Facebook is always changing the format and the automatic 'Privacy' opt-ins.  It's a good idea to go in there and make sure nothing has changed.  Also if an app or if a certain privacy setting was inadvertently turned on you will see it and will be able to shut it off.

Information you should never share on Facebook

Even though we have thoroughly restricted the public view of your profile, as a rule of thumb you do not want to share personal information on Facebook.

• Social Security Number (a given, but I have to say it)
• Address
• Phone Number
• Banking information

Facebook Facebook Privacy