Computers

Tips and tricks to get more from Facebook

Tips and tricks to get more from Facebook
Gizmag breaks down some of the top tips for using the popular social network
Gizmag breaks down some of the top tips for using the popular social network
View 13 Images
Gizmag breaks down some of the top tips for using the popular social network
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Gizmag breaks down some of the top tips for using the popular social network
Organize your News Feed
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Organize your News Feed
Subscribe to notifications via RSS
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Subscribe to notifications via RSS
Check recent account activity
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Check recent account activity
Log in using a mobile code
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Log in using a mobile code
Edit your recent activity
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Edit your recent activity
Control who can tag you
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Control who can tag you
Edit mobile notifications
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Edit mobile notifications
Check into places
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Check into places
Export a list of events
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Export a list of events
Change post visibility
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Change post visibility
Save links to read later
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Save links to read later
Specify a legacy contact
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Specify a legacy contact
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Facebook opened its doors beyond academic institutions back in 2006, and it's changed a lot in those nine years. Mark Zuckerberg and his huge team of engineers are continually adding new features and tools to the site and the mobile apps, so you might not have come across everything that Facebook has to offer – follow these tips and tricks to get right up to speed again.

Prioritize your most important friends

Organize your News Feed
Organize your News Feed

Options for managing your News Feed are nothing new on Facebook, but they've recently been revamped again. If you choose News Feed Preferences from the main menu on desktop or mobile, the next screen lets you prioritize the people whose updates you don't want to miss. You can also unfollow people you'd rather not hear from.

Get notifications via RSS

Subscribe to notifications via RSS
Subscribe to notifications via RSS

If you're a fan of using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to keep up to date with your favorite websites, you can use the same method for getting Facebook notifications: Choose See All from the bottom of the notifications pane on the Facebook website and you'll see an RSS link at the top. You might want to tweak your notification settings first.

Check for suspicious activity

Check recent account activity
Check recent account activity

Facebook offers a simple way of checking up on the activity associated with your account, which you can find by opening the Security page of Settings on the desktop website. Click the Edit link next to the Where You're Logged In and you can end any Facebook sessions you don't recognize, whether on desktops, laptops or smartphones.

Turn on two-step verification

Log in using a mobile code
Log in using a mobile code

For the best security, we recommend turing on two-step verification for as many web services as you can find who offer it. It means someone else needs more than just your username and password to log into your account (a code on your mobile phone is usually used, delivered via either text message or app).

To turn on Facebook's two-factor authentication, go to the Security page in Settings on the desktop, choose Edit next to Login Approvals.

Undo your Facebook mistakes

Edit your recent activity
Edit your recent activity

Click the Activity Log entry on the Facebook website menu and you can see everything you've done recently on the social network – the same page lets you take back likes, delete comments and posts, and even change the privacy settings on updates you've published yourself. If you post something you regret, this is where to correct it.

Stop your friends from tagging you

Control who can tag you
Control who can tag you

Trying to keep a low profile and tired of your friends tagging you in photos and at places? You can switch on a setting that lets you review all tags before they appear on your Timeline: from the Settings screen, click Timeline and Tagging and then activate the Review posts feature. Here you can also stop your friends from posting to your profile wall.

Cut down on mobile notifications

Edit mobile notifications
Edit mobile notifications

You don't necessarily want your phone beeping every time someone posts a funny video or likes one of your comments on Facebook, but managing these notifications is straightforward. Go to Notifications in Settings on Android or iOS to decide which activity types trigger an alert. You can also switch off notifications altogether if you want to.

Check into places as you go

Check into places
Check into places

Checking into places you visit could be well worth the effort, even if you keep the check-in post private and visible only to yourself. Once you check in, you'll see more information about the location in question, together with check-ins and photos posted by your friends; recent updates from the place's official Facebook page are shown as well.

Export Facebook events

Export a list of events
Export a list of events

You're probably going to plenty of events arranged on Facebook, and you can easily export upcoming events in a format recognized by Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar – from the Events page, click Upcoming Events (or Birthdays) from the right-hand column (underneath the boxes for birthdays and this week's events).

Tweak the visibility of your posts

Change post visibility
Change post visibility

Every time you post something to Facebook, you can choose who sees it via the audience selector drop-down box. You could set some posts just for friends and not work colleagues, for example, or keep baby pictures within the family. Click the More link next to Friends in the left-hand navigation pane to set up customized lists of contacts.

Save articles to read later

Save links to read later
Save links to read later

There are only so many hours in the day, which means you may not get to all of the links and posts your friends are sharing. Use the drop-down menu underneath the arrow on any post (on desktop or mobile) to save it to read later. You can then access all of your bookmarked content by choosing the Saved link from the left-hand navigation pane.

Choose who gets your Facebook account when you die

Specify a legacy contact
Specify a legacy contact

There's no getting away from death, and if you want to make sure your Facebook account is in good hands once your account is "memorialized," you can set up a Legacy Contact through the Security section of Settings: he or she can't get at all your messages and photos but will be able to update your Timeline.

You can also opt to have your account automatically deleted once you've shuffled off this mortal coil (Facebook marks an account as "memorialized" after friends and family report it as such).

View gallery - 13 images
4 comments
4 comments
Robert Walther
The only way to get anything positive from 'Facebook' is to cancel and try to delete all of Zuckerman's tentacles. I was raised strict Catholic by Benedictines, Dominicans and Jesuits, but I never really believed in absolute evil until I saw what 'Facebook' is trying to do to people and reality.
JSSFB
Interesting and I would love to be able to do some of these things, but as much as I tried there was no way that I could find these settings on FaceBook, a pity that articles like this are written for the computer industry and not non computer literate people.
mach37
To be really useful Facebook needs to have a second icon, giving readers a choice other than approving something. I would prefer a hand with a middle finger pointing up, but Zuckerman might be more likely to add just a thumbs down symbol.
MïïhTeixeira
tudo é possivel se você seguir seu sonhos e colocar deus sempre em primeiro lugar!!!