Blah blah blah. Whatever. You don’t have to understand it to do it.

Bottom line, changing this setting makes your account secure (in theory, because apparently, even Zuckerburg himself isn’t immune to hacking) when you’re browsing in wifi areas like coffee shops, bookstores, etc.

Here’s the video. Take a minute and 49 seconds to watch it, then 10 seconds more to make the change. It’s a good use of two minutes.

Click to enlarge

It’s time to review your Facebook Privacy Settings. Again. Recent changes made by the social media giant have prompted the following meme on Facebook:

“As of today, there is a new privacy setting called ‘Instant Personalization’ that shares data with non-Facebook websites and it is automatically set to ‘Allow.’ To change this setting, go to Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and Websites and uncheck ‘Allow.’ Please copy & repost.”

I’m not saying you should or shouldn’t allow the Instant Personalization. You should, however, be aware of the change (the robust user experiences as well as the privacy implications) and update your settings to reflect your wishes, rather than those of Facebook. AND, if you have teenagers on Facebook, now is a good time to review your teen’s settings, not just the “Instant Personalization” setting.

When is the last time you’ve reviewed your social media settings? Do you make it a periodic practice? And if you’re a parent, what are you doing to help your teens understand the implications of privacy changes?

Maybe we all should.

If you don’t know the answer to that question, now is probably a good time to check the privacy setting of your teen’s Facebook account. But first, here’s the back story.

Last night Peter was viewing our teen’s Facebook page and noticed a comment from one of her friends. He didn’t know this friend so he decided to check him out. To his surprise, we discovered that he was able to see a lot of information on her friend’s Facebook page including wall posts, photos and contact information. He checked the pages of a couple of the other friends and noticed the same thing! Keep in mind, for most of these kids, he is not connected with them as a friend. So, the explanation is this: either their info is open to friends of friends, or to everyone.

After some discussion, Peter and I both posted status updates in our Facebook accounts to advise parents to check their settings. I also did this on my Twitter feed and asked others to please RT (retweet/share) the information with others. We learned last night that one of our friends’ son’s Facebook page was wide open for all to see. It occurred to me tonight that many parents may not know exactly how to check settings and what to look for, so I’ve written this post with those parents in mind.

Six Settings You Should Review With Your Teen

1. Once in your teen’s Facebook account, have them click on the “Settings” tab and scroll down to the “Privacy Settings” option. Select that.
2. Then do a step-by-step examination of the settings listed there, starting with “Profile Information.” Pay special attention to birthdate/year (consider implications for possible identity theft as a valid concern). Many kids list their schools and graduating year, and hobbies/sports – making it easy for predators to find unsuspecting teenagers, particularly those tagged in photos or videos that everyone can view. (I don’t want to sound like an alarmist. Rather, I simply think it’s important that parents have these discussions with their teens and choose the option that best fits your family preferences.) Be sure that your teen’s “Profile Information” settings reflect what you’ve discussed.
3. Next view your teen’s “Contact Information.” What information do you want available to friends, friends of friends, everyone, etc. Is your teen emotionally mature enough to discern how to share contact information appropriately? If yes, doing so on Facebook makes it easy for friends to keep in touch. If not, you may want to keep that option completely private or make it customizable. Discuss this with your teen to make sure you both are on the same page.
4. It is important that your teen understand the “Applications and Websites” settings. Every application they select gives the creator of that application access to some parts of their data. In theory, everyone plays by the rules and uses the data in accordance with Facebook’s Terms of Service. Reality is sometimes a different story. Simply stated, be aware. Until recently our daughter was a fan of far too many pages and had signed up for countless applications. Within the last week we asked her to review her groups/pages and delete any that were not legitimate brands. (Some deleted examples could have included: I’m a fan of “Making Snow Angels” or “Today is Backwards Day.” I don’t know if either of those actually exist, but hundreds and maybe thousands of fan pages exist that are nonsensical, giving veiled creators access to a lot of information.)
5. There are two “Search” settings and you should review both. The first is the “Facebook Search” setting, which allows other Facebook users to find you if they type in your name. It may make sense for you to make this setting less restrictive, if you want your teen to be found by other friends/relatives, etc. Again, determine what works best for your family and adjust your setting accordingly.  The second search setting is “Public Search Results.” This option allows search engines to access your teen’s publicly available information as well as any information set to “Everyone.” Parents note: There is an option to “Allow” this or not.
6. And finally, there is a “Block” setting. Should your teen face problems with Facebook users, or if you know in advance that you don’t want certain people to have access to your teen’s account, you have the option to block those users by typing in the person’s name or email address.

Facebook is a wonderful way for teens to interact with others. Discuss privacy and safety with your teen now, in a way that is both informative and proactive. If you still feel intimidated and want some help, send me an email to cheryl at culturesmithconsulting dot com. I’ll be happy to provide you with a 30-minute online review of your settings for a nominal fee.

What am I missing? And if you’ve done this with your teen, what have you discovered (either favorable or unfavorable)?

“I’ve just been told by another Facebook user that Facebook has agreed to let third party advertisers use your posted pics without your permission. Here’s how to counter this: 1. Click on SETTINGS up at the top where you see the log out link, and select PRIVACY. 2. Select NEWS FEED & WALL, and then the tab that reads FACEBOOK ADS. 3. There is a drop down box, select NO ONE. 4. Save your changes. 5. Pass it on.”

On a side note, this note appears to be inaccurate for a couple of reasons:
First, the Terms of Service section is for third party application developers, not third party advertisers.
Secondly, the note mentions “posted pictures” (the ones you post of your family vacations, sorority dances, or hike to the mountains), which are different than “profile pictures” (the ones you see in your friend list).

And again, changing the settings as noted above, only applies to Facebook ads, not third party developers.

As I’ve thought about this craziness over the last week, I’ve come up with four components of why I think stories go viral. Here’s my list.

4 Reasons Stories Go Viral

1. It’s a story. “Once upon a time there was a happily married husband and wife…” We all love a good story.
2. The twist. “Then one day this man was on Facebook…” the plot thickens. What will happen?
3. People can relate. “Hey, I’m on Facebook too.” (So are 249,999,999 other people.) “This happened to me the other day.”
4. People like to do good. “Hey, let me send this note to my friends. I’d hate for this to happen to Jeromy or Grant or Glenda or Kawania.”

And there you have it. Of course, most times these things are very organic. I had no idea my post would generate the Digg Effect. I wonder if anyone ever does.

What are your favorite stories/posts? You can leave a comment here. And of course, if you like this story, click on the “Share This” button below.

Yesterday I told you why you might want to change your privacy setting for Facebook ads. Today, I thought it might be helpful to review some of the other privacy settings on Facebook.

1. Click on “Settings” – just to the right of your account user name.
2. Then click “Profile.” You should see something like the screenshot below (you can click to enlarge the image):

On your own page, click in each box and determine who you want to see that particular information. Then make your choices, accordingly.

Pretty simple stuff really. But honestly, who takes the time to routinely review this stuff?

And more importantly, who do you need to share this information with? A co-worker, small business owner, church member or client? Your children, grandmother or neighbor?

What are you waiting for?

Since my original post, thanks to the many comments here and elsewhere, I’ve learned that the issue is not with Facebook. The culprit is a third-party app developer – likely the quiz app. Nonetheless, changing the settings as described below, is still a good idea for most people.

Today is Sunday. Since Thursday, I’ve been unable to update this blog or respond to comments here (though I have responded via email). I have used my posterous account to have an additional voice. For example,

• This has created quite a stir
• Update on Facebook Ads
• Can I Get Some Webhero Love Here, Please

Thanks for stopping by. While you’re here, take a look around. You can learn more about me here.

*****

Or else your husband may just see a Facebook ad with your picture in it advertising hot singles in your area. I’m not joking. Not too long ago, my husband Peter had this ad appear on his Facebook page. Good thing we both have a sense of humor!

If you don’t want to show up in your friends’ FaceBook ads, go to:

1. Settings
2. Privacy
3. News Feed and Wall
4. Click on “Facebook Ads”
5. In the “Appearance in Facebook Ads” box, click “no one” (unless, of course, you actually want to tell your spouse to check out hot singles)

I changed that setting right away. :-)

What about you? Have you received any funny Facebook ads?