It used to be when someone said “Facebook” – people instantly thought of “status updates”. Or that trademark blue color. Or funny pictures from your friends.
But these days, the latest news headlines have a lot of folks instead thinking words like “invasive” and “no privacy”.
I’ve said it before but I’ll repeat it here. The only way to truly remain private on Facebook…is to not be on it at all. That’s not just true of Facebook, that’s true of all things Internet. You just never know where your photo might one day show up, so if you don’t want it everywhere – don’t post it ANYwhere.
Okay, fine. But what to do when someone posts a photo of you on Facebook? And – what if they tag you? Even worse, what if it’s a horrible photo that you never want any of your friends, parents and prospective employers (trust me, they ARE looking) to see on your profile?
Because, it’s a law of nature that every time you do something stupid, somebody’s going to take a picture of it. And social media makes it possible for that picture to be in the hands of millions in hours…
But you can do something about it! (That is, after you yell at your tag-happy buddy.) You can untag yourself and then you can even set your profile to be ‘untaggable’ from then on. Here’s how:
1. Once you are logged into Facebook, click on your Profile page.
2. Once there, look at your profile photo. Just beneath it will be a link called “View Photos of Me” Click on it.
3. Locate the ‘offending photo” and click on it.
4. In the caption under the photo you’ll see your name and just to the right of it, the phrase “remove tag”. Click on that and presto! No more photo tag.
To turn off tagging from your profile and prevent anyone from ever tagging you again:
1. Go back to your profile page.
2. Click on the top right “Account” link.
3. A pull down menu will appear. Locate the “Privacy Settings” on this list and click on it.
4. Then click on “Applications and Websites”
5. Now, to the right of the “What your friends can share about you” option, is a “Edit Settings” button. Click on that.
6. Find the checkbox next to the “Photos and videos of me” and UNcheck it.
7. Save Changes.
When you complete all these steps, your friends will never be able to tag those horrible photos of you again. Then again, neither will your high school buddies be able to tag you when they scan in that great old team photo from the yearbook.
What do you think? Are people who turn off tagging smart and savvy about their privacy? Or are they vain killjoys who need to loosen up? Which camp do you fall into?
Don Crowther is a leading social media marketing and online marketing expert. He helps companies ranging from Fortune-500-level giants to entrepreneurs make more money online using proven social media and search marketing techniques.
