Facebook has rolled out some new privacy settings, and I am pleased to see that for once, Facebook is addressing issues that are not profitability related! Facebook privacy has long been a much debated issue within the social media community because of its obscurity and difficulty to control. In fact, even Mark Zuckerberg’s own sister can’t seem to get a grasp on her Facebook’s privacy settings! Good news, though, Facebook’s new privacy settings are now a lot more visible, accessible, and easier to use.
Before, users had to dig through a labyrinth of settings before finding the privacy controls, but now, these settings are readily visible from any page on Facebook. When you log into your account, you’ll notice a new padlock icon in the top right menu bar that when clicked, reveals a drop down menu of privacy settings for your account.
The “Who Can See My Stuff?” section is where you can change the visibility of the things you post onto your Facebook. You have the option of choosing whether everyone (public), your friends, your friends except those on your “Acquaintances” list, only you, or a custom set of people can see what you post. This will be the default setting every time you make a post, but you can adjust each post’s settings. Then, you have the option of reviewing all of your posts in your activity log, and then seeing what your timeline looks from one of your friend’s perspectives.
The next section dictates who can message or send you a friend request on Facebook.
And the final section allows you to manage whom you’ve blocked on Facebook.
You can click through to “Seemore settings” and change your search engine visibility and how people can search for you on Facebook.
What do you think: are these settings easier to manage and understand?