Hello Everyone, 
In my last post (https://randythetechprofessor.com/10-scary-things-about-facebook), I told you that Facebook scared me and then I went on to tell you why. I listed ten alarming and dangerous things that can happen to you as a user of Facebook. I’m actually not “scared of” Facebook but “afraid for” Facebook users because I’m almost certain that most don’t understand the risks involved. In my last post I revealed ten risks and believe me there are more every day.
Before you think I’m paranoid I want to tell you up front that I use Facebook and think it has great merit as it allows social interaction between family and friends. I’m not advocating paranoia by any means, just caution.
Today I’m going to give you the secret to solving scary Facebook problems: THE SECRET is in THE SETTINGS!!! I’ll cover the ten that I listed in my last post.
1) you will instantly reveal personal information to potential identity thieves.
In Profile Settings (Profile): set this option to be: “Only my friends”.
2) photos and videos will be posted that in the future may be embarrassing to you.
In Profile Settings (Photos Tagged of You): set this option to be:“Only my friends”.
3) criminals will see what you are doing minute-by-minute and use this information for their benefit.
In Profile Settings (Status Updates): set this option to: “Only my friends” (or “No one”).
4) people you have never met will know at all times whether you’re on-line or not.
In Profile Settings (Online Status): set this option to be: “No one”.
5) you will give unknown members of the Facebook community access to your friends list and provide them with additional data about you, which could assist them in identity fraud.
In Profile Settings (Friends): set this option to be: “Only my friends”(or “No one”).
6) the entire Facebook community will see personal information that has been published on your wall by yourself and others.
In Profile Settings (Wall): set this option to be: “Only my friends” (as a minimum).
7) all Facebook users will know your contact details (real address, website address, email, phone number).
In Contact Information (Email, Phone, Address, IM, etc.): set this option to: “No one”.
8) the world will be able to find you on Facebook using external search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN.
In Search Settings (Allow Public Search Listing…): set this option to: “No”.
9) you will unwittingly be revealing your profile when an identity thief attempts to “friend request” you, and you respond with a message asking “Do I know you?”.
In Poke, message and friend request Settings: set this option to: “Basic Info”.
10) applications will allow profile information to be be shared with the application’s author.
In Applications Settings: set this option to be: “Only my friends” (as a minimum).
Now not so “scary” huh? These are some basic tips to “whet your appetite” and get you on the road to using Facebook safely. If you would like to continue investigating, I recommend taking a look at these two up to date sites:
http://tinyurl.com/qosmml (ReadWriteWeb.com)
http://tinyurl.com/q4h3gl (MakeUse Of.com)
Professor Randy says: Go ahead and have fun with Facebook but know the risks. Protect yourself by studying and then carefully configuring the settings!!
