Learning Facebook - How to Manage Your Privacy Settings Using Friends List

Now that you know how to create a friends list on Facebook you can adjust your Facebook privacy settings on some of your information using your new friends lists. Because it is so easy these days for hackers and spyware to snag information using the web it is important to be careful what you allow to be publicly visible on Facebook. Remember that many people, including potential employers, are familiar with 'Google-ing someone' so you must be wary of what you post on your Facebook wall as well.

First you want to click on Settings in the upper right hand side of the blue task bar that runs along the top of the Facebook window. A new page will open; scroll down if needed to Privacy and click on manage. There are several options here; today we are going to look at the profile settings so click on Profile.

At the top of the page you can manage your profile, personal info, and basic info; if you go to your profile page and click on Info you will see these headers above the information that is limited. You will also see that there are several options that you can limit access to including your status updates, education info, work info, photos, videos, notes, and friends.

Just above these settings you will notice there are two boxes; one labeled 'Basic' the other labeled 'Contact Information'. By default you are on the 'Basic' tab but if you would like to restrict access to any of your contact information (which is what you should worry about with identity theft) click on 'Contact Information'. Now you can manage who can see your phone number, address, email/s, and website urls.

Clicking on the upside down triangle to the right to each setting will open a drop down list that will help you select the appropriate Facebook privacy settings; here is where your friends lists come in.

You do have the option to select one of the default settings 'Everyone' (never recommended), 'My Network and Friends', 'Friends of Friends', and 'Only Friends' but to limit access using your friends lists click on 'Custom'.

A dialog box will open and here you will be able to select who you want to view your profile by clicking the radio button next to 'Some Friends' and then click on the small graphic that looks like a driver's license on the right side of the text box that pops up. A menu will now show your list of friends lists which you can select one at a time.

Some privacy settings do not allow for the selection of 'Some Friends'; these are only limited to the options shown.

Hope this information helps you protect yourself from identity theft, stalkers, and/or nosey friends! Feel free to e-mail me your Facebook questions.