A few days ago, Facebook made substantial changes (again) to its privacy settings.
With the highly popular Google + quickly becoming a legitimate rival by giving users what they want, Facebook has seen the light and realized users want control and do not want to be forced into what they can or can’t do. So, it’s fair to say these changes should actually provide for a much better user experience.
In case you haven’t been able to make heads or tails of the new changes, here’s a breakdown of of the top 5 changes you’ll find when using Facebook:
TAGGING – Previously, you couldn’t tag someone in your posts unless you were already Facebook friends with them. Now, Facebook will allow users to tag people they’re not friends with, or pages they haven’t “liked.” However, users will be required to approve tags from non-friends before they appear on their profiles. Facebook says its previous policy was “awkward” and “broken.” But in fixing one problem, they may have just created another. Do people really want strangers tagging them in photos?
PRE-APPROVAL – Facebook will now let users review photos or posts they have been tagged in before the images or updates show up on their profiles. You may now approve or reject any photo or post you are tagged in before it’s visible to anyone else on your profile. Users will also be able to review the tags people add to their photos or posts. This means the person who originally uploaded any photo will be able to first approve or reject any tag.
INLINE PRIVACY CONTROLS – Facebook now provides inline controls for users to edit their privacy settings in the same place that they edit profile information and post status updates. Previously, Facebook users had to edit their profile information in one place and their privacy settings in another. But with the new inline controls, users can do both in the same place, giving them the option to see which users have access to their profile information, and change who can see these details. Inline controls are also coming to status updates.
YOU’RE IN CONTROL – Facebook now offers users more information when they choose to detag a photo or post. Facebook will display a window with details about what occurs when a tag is removed, as well as an option to take additional action: users may remove the tag, ask the person who uploaded the photo to remove it, or completely block the user who uploaded the photo.
HOW DO I LOOK? – If you’ve ever wondered how your profile looks to others, including friends, friends of friends, or people you have in a particular group, Facebook now allows that option. No more guessing whether your boss can see your folder of photos out drinking with friends: with this tool, you can almost instantly find out what information other users see in your Facebook profile.
