March 28, 2011
How to Hide Yourself on Facebook
By John Sileo
www.Sileo.com

What if I want to use Facebook to log in to other sites and to keep track of friends, but don't want to share my information the other direction?

In reality, it's difficult to just up and quit Facebook completely. You may want to use it like the proverbial fly on the wall that lets you watch what is going on in other people's lives without them seeing or commenting on what is going on in yours. You might use your  Facebook login credentials to centralize access to other sites (e.g., log in to Twitter with your Facebook credentials). Or you may want to keep it open so your username isn't made available to someone else.

So how do you drop off of the Facebook radar without completely closing your account? This video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqQgODah96k&feature=player_embedded#)  and the steps below are the closest approximation we've found to going underground.

1.   First go to Facebook.com and log in to your profile.  Click 'Account' in the top-right corner and then choose 'Privacy Settings.'

2.   From the 'Privacy Settings' page, under "Connecting on Facebook" click 'View Settings' to see who can search for you, send messages to your account, see your education and work settings and more. Change all of these drop-down menus to 'Friends Only.' There is no option in this section to restrict the settings to 'Only Me' like there is in other areas.

3.   Return to the 'Privacy Settings' page and choose 'Customize Settings' near the bottom of the page. This new page will load a number of different privacy options, but you'll want to click through each one and change the setting to 'Only Me' so that nobody else can see your Facebook activity.

4.   While on the 'Customize Settings' page, scroll down to 'Things Others Share.' Here, you want to click Edit Settings and disable settings so that your friends are unable to write on your wall, comment on posts and check you in to places.

5.   Return to the 'Privacy Settings' page and, under 'Apps and Websites' in the bottom-left corner, select 'Edit Your Settings.' This page shows all of the third-party websites and applications you have given access to some of your Facebook information. If you see anything on this list you want to remove, just click to remove it from the list.

6.   Stay on the 'Apps and Websites' page, scroll down to 'Instant Personalization' and select 'Edit Settings.' Uncheck the box at the bottom of this page to block other websites from accessing your Facebook interests. Select 'Confirm' when a pop-up asks you if you're sure you want to disable this option.

7.   Return to the 'Apps and Websites' page, scroll down to 'Public Search' and select 'Edit Settings.' To keep search engines from finding your Facebook profile, uncheck the box on this new screen.

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   About the author: John Sileo speaks professionally to organizations that wish to avoid the costs associated with identity theft, data breach, social media exposure and insider theft. His satisfied clients include the Department of Defense, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the FDIC, Pfizer and hundreds of corporations of all sizes. Learn more about his entertaining and effective presentations at www.ThinkLikeaSpy.com  or contact him directly on 800.258.8076. Permission for use on DrLaura.com

Posted by Staff at 3:15 PM