…an occasional series about new-fangled gizmos and how geezers like me use them.
Part I of “Not Your Kid’s Facebook” focused on the decision to sign up for an account. Now, we move to some housekeeping details (I’m saving the really fun stuff for Part III):
· Lock down your privacy settings. I use Friends Only for the majority of the options. Don’t trust FB to choose the best options for you; they have no dog in your hunt.
· Think about who you want to see on your friends list and how you will (or won’t) look for them. For example, I don’t reach out to anybody under the age of 18, but if they reach out to me, I’ll accept their request. Facebook is their world and I don’t want to intrude, but I freely admit, I’m tickled/flattered when the young ‘uns send me a friend request. I’m delighted (albeit sometimes a bit horrified) to know what my nephews are posting. Their parents are also their friends (which I believe is a “must” if you have a kid on FB) so anything too outrageous soon disappears. I’m equally careful about stalking their posts and don’t comment very regularly—they indulge me by not seeming to mind if I give an occasional thumbs up but I save the “love u” messages for texts that are directly to them.
· Tweak your notification options. Getting an email every time somebody “likes” a friend’s status can make you crazy. So, uncheck all of the notification options (Account/Account Settings/Notification tab) and then add them back in, based on what you really want to know via email (and that may be nothing at all). I get an email when somebody friends me, sends me a direct message, or comments on one of my status postings. That’s it.
· Upload a profile pic. I’m reluctant to accept a friend invitation from someone with only the silhouette photo, which is strangely reminiscent of those old yearbook picture placeholders. Find a picture that makes you smile. My favorite profile pic is my pink wig one, but, at my family’s request, I provide a glimpse of my current hair color every so often.
· Fill out at least part of the profile information. Share your essentials (work, hometown, birthday without the year (!), and education). I don’t have my cell number on my profile, but I know lots of folks who do. I do like the quotes section as a repository for quotes I come across. One of my faves? “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” – John Wayne. There are too many books and movies in my life to list them all but I promise you’ll look at what your friends have listed, especially in your early experiences with Facebook.
· Download the mobile app for your smartphone. Put a bookmark/button in your web browser. You’re more likely to use FB if you make it simple to get to. Waiting in the doctor’s office? Check out FB; it takes your mind off the impending appointment and the ever-present lag time for doctor visits. Facebook would love to be my home page, but it’s not where I want to go every time I open my browser (which has a blank default which is faster than waiting for a page to load). So, I make a button on my toolbar (Add to Favorites Bar for the Internet Explorer users in the crowd) and that allows me to get to Facebook in a single click.
I’ll be looking for you on FB. Stop by and see me!
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