Facebook is unveiling a raft of improvements for sharing posts, photos, tags and places with exactly the people a user wants to see the content.
The changes attempt to make the privacy settings more accessible and user friendly.
Big Changes
Here’s a list of the major improvements.
- The privacy settings are moving toward individual post windows and profiles.
- Users are gaining the ability to approve tags of themselves in others’ posts and photos.
- All tags will include an attribution of the person who did the tagging.
- Places no longer require physical check-ins, so people can add locations to posts, even from the desktop.
- You don’t need to be friends with someone to tag them in a post or photo.
- You don’t have to like a brand to tag it in a post or photo.
- Facebook has changed the word “everyone” to “public” in privacy settings, for clarity.
- You can customize privacy, or visibility of information, on a post-by-post basis.
- Users can edit the visibility of individual bits of content anytime after they post.
- The changes don’t affect mobile users, at least not for now.
Facebook Product Manager Kate O’Neill hopes none of these change will be misconstrued as the site resetting everyone’s privacy settings. Rather, people are gaining more control over them — or they will when these improvements roll out across the site this Thursday.
Visibility
Wherever the profile shows a pencil icon for editing information, a second icon will appear nearby, signaling the ability to alter the visibility of information. This button is actually color-reversed iteration of the friend-request icon; clicking on it pulls down a menu listing the choices “public, friends and custom.” The latter brings up the option to choose individual friends or lists of friends.
This same visibility drop-down menu appears near every single opportunity to post or share information on the home page and elsewhere, allowing you to customize the visibility item by item.
Facebook has created a guide to the new sharing settings that you can access by clicking here.
Posts on your profile and the news feed will indicate who can see them. You’ll see a tag indicating which people or lists of friends can see the item, while folks who view your posts see an indication that you’ve shared something with a limited audience, without disclosing exactly whom.
Anytime after you post something, you can go back and adjust who can see the item.
One important detail visible in the screenshots throughout this post: Facebook replaces the word “everyone” with “public,” clarifying that this visibility setting goes beyond the folks on one’s friend list.
These changes result in the paring down of what was up until now considered the privacy settings page. A few central things remain, explained by Facebook on a new information page you can find by clicking here.
One of the most helpful features from the old privacy settings now appears in a more convenient location: The ability to preview what your profile looks like to others is now a button on the top right-hand side of the profile page.
Tags
Say goodbye to the old tag notifications. If you turn on a review feature (circled in the picture above) you can approve or reject all tags of yourself before the content in question shows up on your profile.
Along with this, you can tag people in photos who aren’t on your friend list, but the tagging won’t become visible until that person approves. You can also tag brands without having to first like their corresponding pages.
Locations
And you can tag locations in photos, posts, status updates and comments, without having to check in. Yes, this means Facebook places is no longer just for mobile devices, but something you can access from any browser. Of course, you can opt not to add any location.
Facebook’s O’Neill said that this location tagging marks the beginning of a phasing out of the mobile-only version of places, in favor of platform-independent locational tags. More information about this appears on a new page you can find by clicking here.
Removing Tags
In addition to approving or declining tags, removing them after the fact becomes clearer. Decline a tag, and the following three choices will appear in a pop-up window:
- Remove the photo from your profile.
- Ask the person who uploaded the image to remove the photo.
- Block the individual who uploaded the picture.
Facebook describes the new tagging options on a new page you can access by clicking here.
User Education
The social network has spent the past six months making all of these changes, in response to usability feedback. Expect to see a great deal of user education about these improvements in the very near future — doubtlessly tailored to the inevitable chorus of complaints that Facebook users usually make after any change to the site.
Meanwhile, readers, what do you make of all these promised improvements?
Wow this indeed is HUGE. A clear response to Google+
Comment by @AMAXRA — August 23, 2011 @ 2:06 pm
Looks like FB may at last be catching up with the fact that I might not want my mum to read what my mates read, and vice versa – i.e. I have different circles of acquaintances. Just like Google+!
Comment by Sid Cumberland — August 23, 2011 @ 2:10 pm
This is what everyone wanted Facebook to have
It has been late but still it has been a great move by facebook, really appreciate it
but that will surely worry Google+ much more
It would be nice if facebook allows to edit comments and posts just like Google plus
Comment by Praveen_Gowda — August 23, 2011 @ 2:16 pm
It's still not possible to set specific privacy settings for apps' posts
Comment by @SofianeHocine — August 23, 2011 @ 2:23 pm
I like that Facebook is constantly bettering their product. It does get confusing for some who don't spend as much time in it is I do, but posts like these are very useful for me to learn from so that I can pass the information along! Thank you!
Comment by @abbysocialmedia — August 23, 2011 @ 3:17 pm
There's actually this new app that allows you to group your contacts into Layers, just like we do in real life. I think it makes sharing much easier because it mirrors how we share things offline as well. Check it out: http://3ps.me/ It's still in beta but you can sign up and try it out and send some feedback so the team can make it better.
3ps.me
Comment by Ash — August 23, 2011 @ 3:27 pm
I hope that Google+ stays around as it gives Facebook pressure to be better and more concerned about it's users
Comment by J T — August 23, 2011 @ 3:41 pm
Why is the headline not Huge Google Plus Feature Rippoff? Fanboy much?
Comment by dubss — August 23, 2011 @ 5:21 pm
I love that edit feature on Google+
Comment by Susan VonAchen — August 23, 2011 @ 6:37 pm
The tagging feature seems like too much work. We can already change that setting, so I say leave it.
Comment by Susan Von Achen — August 23, 2011 @ 6:38 pm
It's had the first feature for a long time….
It's just been a little lock icon
Comment by @tylerlovelace — August 23, 2011 @ 6:45 pm
Too little too late too "result of G+ stomping your ass and not years worth of user feedback"
Comment by Vaelek — August 23, 2011 @ 7:29 pm
Would be nice if facebook would bring back these settings (see link below) but highly unlikely!
http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-kills-off-new...
Comment by Jared — August 24, 2011 @ 2:16 am
Actually, yes, you can… you can customize them when they're posted – I limit all my game posts to my List called "Games" and no one not in my Games list can see them.
Comment by Dawn — August 24, 2011 @ 9:26 am
a rip off from google plus…
Comment by @engfelix — August 24, 2011 @ 9:51 am
Seriously, this move by facebook, is amongst the BEST yeT! A totally unexpected, not anticipated move. <3 the change! All
Comment by Bhaskar — August 24, 2011 @ 12:20 pm
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Hi like facebook because I can talk to my other sublings online.
Comment by Mandi — August 24, 2011 @ 12:44 pm
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Comment by Mandi — August 24, 2011 @ 12:45 pm
Confused! Did not understand it!
Comment by Henry Louis — August 25, 2011 @ 2:48 am
[...] announced a series of upcoming changes this week, and while most of the attention was on a revamping of the privacy system, the [...]
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I changed some old posts setting individually to public, but still they do not appear to the "public". Only the ones posted after the whole new privacy settings were applied. Is that true or I'm missing something?
Comment by Salma — August 27, 2011 @ 10:43 pm
[...] following any change to the site, we’ve seen loads of confusion over Facebook’s latest changes to places and deals. Allow us to set the record straight: Neither is completely [...]
Pingback by DON’T PANIC! Facebook Places And Deals Live On — August 29, 2011 @ 3:00 pm
how do you post links now? with this "upgrade" i only get the option to Update Status … when i stick a link there, it just shows up as an ugly URL … no infor about the link, no thumbnail, etc.
Comment by Mishka — August 29, 2011 @ 3:18 pm
I'm still keeping BetterFacebook! It is so choice.
Comment by psubliminal — August 29, 2011 @ 6:03 pm
I cant post anything to Facebook now from my phone with this new feature. What do I need to do?
Comment by Charlayne — August 30, 2011 @ 1:07 pm
i cant share my link anymore…jus the url goes as status now? anyone having same problem on posting links???
Comment by shreshan — August 30, 2011 @ 3:40 pm
[...] from a major upgrade to sharing and tagging, Facebook appears to already be testing yet another upgrade of news feed [...]
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I have a problem with this update, i want to be able to post a status and people see it but can't comment on it or like it…this has been removed! Anyone have a workaround to this?
Comment by Tony — August 31, 2011 @ 7:46 am
It's crap
Comment by 2011phoenix — August 31, 2011 @ 10:09 am
Now we have just ONE setting that controls all the tags, no matter whether photos or posts.. It's absourd!
Comment by Anon — September 5, 2011 @ 4:43 am
[...] Facebook recently unveiled the most dramatic updates to its privacy settings in a year. Among the changes, there’s one new feature that you should turn on when it is available to you: profile review. [...]
Pingback by The Facebook Feature You Must Activate Right Now — September 7, 2011 @ 11:37 am
Tony,
I don't have an answer unfortunately, but want to second this complaint. I have a couple of friends that seem to always comment inappropriately. They are still friends, but i don't want them posting on my wall or writing comments. I'd rather they contact me privately. This "improvement" removes the granularity that I found valuable. Hopefully they will put this back, but I'm not holding my breath.
Comment by Michael — September 8, 2011 @ 4:52 pm
hi recently facebook has installed new privacy settings…earlier there was
an option wer no friends can comment on photos but yesterday i upload few
photos in my new album and people are able to comment on my new photos…
i dont want it to happen…is there any setting on it…
Comment by diya sharma — September 14, 2011 @ 8:29 am
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I think…right on.
Comment by Timothy Mensing — September 15, 2011 @ 6:21 am
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Fuckerburg took Wilkelvoss's idea and made it better…. Google took Fuckerburgs idea and made it better…. Time for Facebook to roll over like MySpace and accept reality…. All empires fall.
Comment by jonnyfive — September 19, 2011 @ 11:20 am
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Pingback by Do You Have A Right To Privacy On Facebook? — October 5, 2011 @ 11:30 am
I do not appreciate the inconsistencies in the new privacy settings. I have set mine pretty tight. And – try to avoid a family squabble – have tightened viewing down even tighter on a relative. THE PROBLEM IS – I can tighten down each and every post I make on MY page – but the comments I make on other friends' pages – there is no way to tighten down who can see those. I am friends with both – but they are not friends with each other. Problem person comments on other friends page trying to get a rise out of me. PLEASE – either return to the former settings or allow us to restrict viewing all across. Be consistent! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the family member and was hoping to just limit contact for a while quietly until they calmed down – hoping to avoid them coming to my door in a rage.
Comment by Anon — October 6, 2011 @ 11:27 pm
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Comment by sunny — October 13, 2011 @ 3:05 am
[...] number of places where you can get tagged on Facebook continues to grow, but you can give yourself the right to approve all tags before they [...]
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/210434432363588/
Comment by Zainal Kl — October 29, 2011 @ 5:20 am
https://www.facebook.com/groups/210434432363588/
Comment by Zainal Kl — October 29, 2011 @ 5:20 am
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Posts on your profile and the news feed will indicate who can see them. You’ll see a tag indicating which people or lists of friends can see the item, while folks who view your posts see an indication that you’ve shared something with a limited audience, without disclosing exactly whom.
Comment by animals rainforest — December 5, 2011 @ 5:33 pm
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Comment by steelers jersey — January 14, 2012 @ 3:15 am
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Pingback by How To Make Facebook Timeline More Private Without Wasting Time — January 30, 2012 @ 11:19 am
I wonder if someone knows how can I control who comments on my cover photo?
Comment by mary — January 31, 2012 @ 10:28 pm
The whole article is so informative that I decide to mark it down for further analysis later.
Comment by Borse prezzi — February 3, 2012 @ 4:53 am
Wow this indeed is HUGE. A clear response to Google+
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