6 Easy Steps to Stay Safe on Facebook

It is no secret that Facebook is the dominating social-networking site in the United States. This becomes especially apparent when even the President warns children about what they post and say on Facebook. Today, more than 30% of employers are using facebook as a reference for future employees. Kind of like a picture resume. So what is the best way to regulate your Facebook page? Because we all know that deleting it is not an option...

Below are 6 easy steps you can take to help your page become more secure and private and less vulnerable to suspicion. You don’t have to be tech savvy to understand these easy directions. All it takes is a little time and concentration and you are on your way to a fastened profile!

Step 1: Make friend lists

Categorize your friends, colleagues, family and whomever else you know so you can control who sees certain sections of your profile. The nice thing about these lists is that once they are set, you won’t have to do it again. You can do this under the privacy settings and then by clicking profile.

Step 2: Who can see what on your profile

Your privacy settings are very important. Having a public profile means that every person, friend or not, can see every tagged picture, video and wall posts. Secure this by clicking “only friends” or choose a certain friend list that you made in step 1.

Step 3: Who can see your address and phone number

This seems so obvious but people still have their personal information displayed to the public. Control this by limiting who can view your contact section or even taking out your contact information if you want to ensure safety.

Step 4: Who can find you on Facebook via search

Limit this by choosing from options such as “only friends, friends of friends, everyone, or customize” in the privacy setting under search. This will keep random people from sending you friend requests.

Step 5: Stop sharing personal information with unknown applications

You receive random quizzes and surveys almost daily. It is best to limit your interaction with these because you are sharing too much personal information that could potentially hurt you. Edit this by going to your privacy settings, then applications and then click the tab that said settings (next to overview). Be sure to uncheck any information that you do not want readily available to your friends and random people!

Step 6: Untag yourself!

Had a rough night and someone just happened to capture a picture of it? The best way to avoid unwanted pictures of yourself is to tell the person or friend not to post it in the first place. But if they do anyway, be sure to untag yourself so future employers are not reliving the night with you! It is a simple task that many people overlook. Simply click "remove tag" where your name is located under the picture.