Chapter 2
In This Chapter
Creating your Facebook account
Finding friends on Facebook
Understanding your account settings
Setting up your cellphone to receive Facebook updates
Deactivating or deleting your account
Creating your Facebook account is easy: Fill out a short form, and you’re on your way. And when customizing your account, Facebook walks you through the three most important steps: finding friends, filling out your profile information, and uploading a profile picture. But you'll want to know about a few other features, such as where to find your account settings so you can manage your password, username, and security options. This chapter discusses all these tasks, as well as how to connect your cellphone to your account and how to deactivate or delete your Facebook account.
It’s easy to create a new Facebook account! Just point your browser to www.facebook.com to get started. You begin by completing the form on the front page. You need to provide your first and last names, your e-mail address, the password you want to use, your sex, and your date of birth. Facebook then sends you an e-mail with a confirmation link. When you receive the e-mail, click the link to complete your Facebook signup. Facebook has this step to ensure that the e-mail account you’re using is real.
When you’ve completed the form, click the Sign Up button. At this point, Facebook wants to walk you through some steps to get you started.
In step 1, you find friends who are already on Facebook by using your e-mail account's contacts list. Facebook offers options for Outlook (Hotmail), Gmail, Yahoo!, and other e-mail services. Click the Find Friends link next to the type of e-mail account you have, type your e-mail address in the text box, and click the Find Friends button. A dialog box may appear, asking you to allow Facebook to access your e-mail account and contacts list. You need to grant this access for Facebook to cross-check the e-mail addresses in your contacts list with the addresses registered on Facebook.
After you allow Facebook to access your e-mail account, you’re presented with a list of friends who are currently on Facebook. Or, if you’re a Gmail user, you see instructions for uploading your contacts.
If you see a list of friends, select the check box next to each friend you’d like to connect with on Facebook. If you want to connect with all your contacts, select the Select All Friends check box. When you’ve selected your friends, click the Add Friends button to continue.
If Facebook finds e-mail addresses for people who are not on Facebook yet, you’re asked if you’d like to invite those people to connect on Facebook. If you choose to do that, Facebook sends a message to those people on your behalf, asking them to join Facebook. You can instead click Skip This Step if you don't want to add contacts right now.
In step 2, you start filling out personal profile information, beginning with the name of your high school, your college or university, your current place of employment, and your current city and hometown. When you’re done, click Save & Continue.
Based on the information you’ve shared so far, Facebook pulls a list of recommended friends for you. In general, these people may be in your address book or may have attended the same high school, college, or university while you were there. You can choose to add any of these people as a friend on Facebook simply by clicking the Add Friend link under the person’s name. When you do, Facebook sends a friend request to that user and alerts you if he or she accepts your friend request.
In step 3, Facebook wants to know as much about you as you’ll allow so that it can determine what ads are best to show you and to figure out additional pages that might interest you, such as pages for musicians, news sources, public figures, and actors. You'll be able to immediately Like these pages.
Your profile picture is one of the most important aspects of your Facebook account because people associate it with your updates. In step 4, Facebook offers you the option of uploading an existing image from your computer or taking a new photo with your computer’s webcam. (See Book II, Chapter 3 for tips on taking pictures with your webcam.) After you choose your photo, click Save & Continue. Your personal timeline appears, and you can start using Facebook.
Because Facebook is all about being social, it makes sense that you’ll want to connect with your friends, family, and colleagues. In fact, as you become more comfortable with Facebook, you may interact with friends of friends, see that they’re good fits, and send friend requests to them. Facebook says the average number of friends is 130, but just about everyone we know has many, many more. The following sections aim to help you understand what it means to be friends on Facebook and how to find people you want to connect with.
In the real world, the term friend has different meanings to different people. If you ask an extrovert how many friends she has, she may say hundreds, because to her, everyone she meets is a friend. If you ask an introvert how many she has, she may say three, because her definition of a friend is much different from her extrovert counterpart’s. Neither answer is wrong, but you can see how perspective can change what it means to be friends.
Along those same lines, the term friend is a little different in the world of social media than in the real world. Online, you may find that you’re friends with people you’ve never even met in person but have interacted with online through the comments on a mutual friend’s status updates or through other social media (such as Twitter or blogs). Or maybe someone you met at a party sends you a friend request on Facebook, and you accept. Your circle is widening in a way it may not in the real world.
Consider how you want to connect with others and your criteria for requesting and accepting Facebook friend requests. And respect how others deal with online friends. Understand that some people like to keep their Facebook timelines private and limited to real-life friends and family. Other people are an open book and accept requests from just about anyone. The key is not to take it personally if someone doesn’t accept your friend request. (Sometimes easier said than done.)
Social media is interesting because, on one hand, it’s a public forum where you can be heard by thousands. On the other hand, it’s a private place where you can establish your own space and determine who you interact with. We suspect that your idea of how to relate with others will change as you become more comfortable interacting on Facebook and other social media platforms.
We suggest starting slowly and building a group of Facebook friends you know and are comfortable with, and then expanding your community as you become more familiar with Facebook (and possibly other social media). In particular, pay attention to your privacy settings (see Chapter 3 of this minibook) and how and what you share in your status updates (see Book II, Chapter 2).
When you first set up your account with Facebook, it walks you through finding friends who may already be on Facebook. The platform allows you to use your existing e-mail contacts to see whether any of those e-mail addresses are registered with accounts on Facebook and then lets you send a friend request to people you know. (See the previous section “Completing step 1: Finding friends.”) If you skipped that step or decided to wait to find friends later, that’s not a problem. You can find friends in several ways:
You may also see friend suggestions from Facebook on the right side of your news feed page.
To connect with someone on Facebook, you need to send him a friend request. When you visit his personal timeline, you can click the 1+ Add Friend button to send him a request.
If you don’t know someone but would like to follow his public updates, you can click the Follow button on his personal timeline (if he’s enabled it). When you follow someone, you aren’t Facebook friends with that person, but you can see any public updates he shares. Following is a good way to follow leaders in your line of work or someone you’re interested in. For example, Scott isn’t Facebook friends with Mark Zuckerberg (the founder of Facebook), but he follows Mark’s public updates. Likewise, Scott has over 24,000 people following him on Facebook, but he’s not friends with them all.
When you receive a friend request, Facebook alerts you by highlighting a number next to the friend requests icon, which appears to the right of the search box at the top of the page. If you aren’t sure whether you have pending friend requests, click the friend requests icon to see a list similar to the one in Figure 2-2.
You can see from Figure 2-2 that you have two choices: Confirm or Not Now. When you confirm a friend, Facebook adds that person to your friends list. In Figure 2-3, you can see the Friends button, which indicates that the person was added to the list. (Facebook also asks you whether you know this person away from Facebook; we don't know what Facebook does with this feedback.)
If you click the Friends button, you see the options shown in Figure 2-4. You can add that person to any of your lists, get notifications when that person makes a post, and display or hide the person's posts in your news feed.
If you choose to ignore a friend request or click the Not Now button, Facebook wants to know whether you know the person, as shown in Figure 2-5.
Facebook asks if you know the person to help cut down on spam and unwanted requests. If you click Yes, Facebook thanks you for your feedback, and that person can send another friend request. If you click No, Facebook won’t allow that person to send you another friend request.
You can control the information you share on Facebook in three areas: General Account Settings, Privacy Settings, and Timeline. The last two are described in Chapters 3 and 4, respectively, of this minibook. You can find your General Account Settings page by clicking the down arrow or the gear (depending on the version of Facebook you have), at the far-right end of the blue toolbar at the top of any Facebook page, and choosing Account Settings from the menu. The General Account Settings page appears, as shown in Figure 2-6.
The options appear on the left. The next sections describe each option and show you how to control the option to suit your Facebook needs.
Your General Account Settings page (refer to Figure 2-6) lists the basics of your account and allows you to edit that information. You see options for editing your name, username, e-mail, password, networks, and language. You also have the option to download a copy of your Facebook data. We explain each of these options in the following sections.
For details about the Privacy and Blocking settings, see Chapter 4 of this minibook.
The Name row shows the name you registered when you created your Facebook account. This name is what others see when you share content. If you click the Edit link, you can change your first and last names and add your middle name if you like. You can also use the drop-down list to choose how your name appears on your timeline.
Most people display their name as First, Last. The alternative-name option lets you include a nickname or maiden name to help others find you. If you make any changes here, you need to confirm them by typing your Facebook password in the Password text box and then clicking the Save Changes button. You can change your name only three times.
A username is a customized URL for your Facebook account and is sometimes referred to as a vanity URL. Facebook assigns a unique number to all new accounts and uses that number in the address for your personal timeline. For example, click over to your personal timeline and look in the address bar of your browser. You probably see something like this:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1018974455
The long string of numbers following id= is your account ID. That ID is pretty hard to remember and more than a little inconvenient to include on a business card. When you choose a username, the numbers in the URL for your timeline are replaced. For example:
https://www.facebook.com/scottwayres
To set your username, follow these steps:
If you’ve just established your Facebook account, it may not be verified yet (even if you clicked the link in the e-mail that Facebook sent you when you signed up). If that’s the case, you can wait a little longer until Facebook confirms your verification, or you can click the Verify via Mobile Phone option. To verify via your phone, do this:
The Enter Your Confirmation Code dialog box appears. If, after five minutes, you haven't received the code, click the Resend Code link to try again.
A dialog box appears.
If you activate text messages, Facebook texts your notifications to you. Normal text messaging charges apply, so be sure you know what your phone’s data plan is — you could be receiving a lot of texts.
When your account is verified, the Username option changes as shown in Figure 2-7.
If the Username option doesn’t change right away, click another option (for example, Name) and then click back to Username.
If your username isn’t available, Facebook suggests a username for you.
You can change your username only one time. It’s best to use your real name if you can. (You may have to include your middle name or at least your initial if you have a fairly common name.) Choosing something like PartyBill may be fun now but probably won’t be quite as impressive when work colleagues look you up.
The Email row displays the e-mail address you used when you created your Facebook account. When you click the Edit link, you have these options:
If your account is new, you may have to wait a few days before e-mail is available.
If you make any changes to your e-mail settings, be sure to type your Facebook password in the text box and click the Save Changes button for those changes to take effect.
It’s a good idea to periodically change your account password. You can do that by first clicking Password in the General Account Settings screen. Then in the text boxes that appear, type your current password in the Current text box, type your new password in the New box, and retype your new password in the final box. Click the Save Changes button, and your password is updated. You’ll need to use the new password the next time you log in to Facebook.
We provide tips on choosing a password and protecting your privacy in Chapter 4 of this minibook.
Facebook has networks associated with high school, college, and some supported companies. To join a specific network, you need to have an official e-mail address associated with the college or work network you’re trying to join so you can confirm your affiliation. If you're trying to join a high school network, a classmate in the network must approve you.
You can join up to five networks. If you join more than one, you’re prompted to choose your primary network. Your primary network appears next to your name and is public. Your primary network also affects your search results in Facebook. If you do a search, results associated with your network appear at the top of the results.
To join a network, click Networks in the General Account Settings screen, and then click Join a Network. Type the name of the network in the Network Name text box and type your associated e-mail address in the Network Email text box. Click Save Changes. You need to check that e-mail account for your confirmation message and follow the instructions to join the network.
To remove a network from your account, click the Remove link beside the network you want to leave. Then click Save Changes.
Facebook no longer accepts requests for new networks, so if your work doesn’t have an approved network, you can create a group and invite people to join that way.
Because Facebook is an international social media platform, it’s available in myriad languages. To change your primary language, click Language in the General Account Settings screen, and then use the drop-down list to make your selection. Click Save Changes.
Always remember that you don’t own your space at Facebook. If you violate Facebook's terms of service, you may find yourself locked out of your account. If that were to happen, you’d lose access to all the content you’ve added to Facebook: status updates, pictures, video, comments, friends and their contact information, and so on.
Facebook makes it so easy to use your smartphone to upload pictures and updates that many people use their phones to record and share important life events directly to Facebook. We suggest making a habit of backing up your data on a regular basis if you’re consistently keeping important content (for example, vacation photos) on Facebook rather than somewhere else. Your download will include everything you’ve uploaded to Facebook, including status updates, pictures, video, private messages, chats, and a list of Facebook friends and their contact information (if they’ve enabled that on their account).
To back up your data, follow these steps:
The Download Your Information page appears.
The Request My Download dialog box appears and explains that it will take some time to create the backup file.
Facebook tells you that it will send a message to the primary e-mail associated with your account when your archive is ready.
When you open the archive file, you find the following information:
Facebook states that it takes your personal privacy and security seriously. To that end, Facebook provides many options so you can control how and what you share (see Book I, Chapter 4 for more information on privacy). The Security tab on your Account Settings page, shown in Figure 2-8, is where you find many of the options for securing your account, as you discover in this section.
By default, Facebook uses secure browsing on laptops, desktop computers, and most mobile devices while you’re logged into Facebook. We highly recommend leaving this feature turned on. Secure browsing encrypts your Facebook activity so it’s harder for others to access it without your permission (you grant permission through your share setting, tags, and so on).
If you want to turn off secure browsing, click the Edit link on the far right of the Secure Browsing row, and then deselect the check box labeled Browse Facebook on a Secure Connection (https) When Possible. Then click the Save Changes button.
To make sure secure browsing is enabled, see whether the address bar of your browser begins with https:// (for example, https://www.facebook.com). If you see http:// instead of https://, revisit your settings to be sure you still have this option enabled. You may have turned off secure browsing to access a noncompliant app but then forgot to turn it back on.
If you’re concerned that someone may access your account without your consent, we suggest enabling the login notifications option. This option notifies you via e-mail or text message when your account is accessed from a device that you haven’t used before. So if you usually use your desktop computer to access your account, but one afternoon you use your laptop, Facebook sends you a note (either an e-mail or a text message) to let you know that your account was accessed from a new device. If you were the one logging in from the new device, no problem. If you weren’t, you can investigate.
To turn on login notifications, click the Edit link in the Login Notifications row. Then select the E-mail check box or the Text Message/Push Notification check box, or both. Keep in mind that charges for text messages apply here. Click Save Changes to complete the process.
The Login Approvals entry adds another layer of protection to login notifications. Each time you (or someone else) logs into your account from a device that you haven’t used before, Facebook sends you a text message with a code that you have to use to complete your Facebook login. For example, if you usually log into your Facebook account with your desktop computer but decide to log in with your laptop, Facebook texts you a code that you must type when prompted to access your account.
Obviously, to use this option, you need to be sure you have a cellphone number associated with your account. You can associate a cellphone number with your account via the Mobile tab on your Account Setting page or when you verify your account by using your phone (see the “Username” section, earlier in this chapter).
To turn on login approvals:
The check box is labeled Require Me to Enter a Security Code Each Time an Unrecognized Computer or Device Tries to Access My Account.
The Set Up Login Approvals dialog box appears, with an explanation of how login approvals work.
You need to activate Code Generator so you can receive security codes on your phone.
If the code doesn’t work, you are given the option of having Facebook simply text you a code.
The Success dialog box appears, with information about what to do if you get a new phone, lose your phone, or use Facebook apps.
Now that login approvals are set up, every time you log in from a new device, Facebook texts a login code to your phone. You see the message shown in Figure 2-9.
Type the login code in the text box and click Submit Code to start using Facebook.
You can use Code Generator in your Facebook mobile app to reset your password or to generate login approval security codes.
To enable Code Generator, follow these instructions:
If the code doesn’t work, click Continue to have Facebook text you a code.
Some Facebook applications don’t work with Facebook login approval codes, so if you have that option enabled, you may not be able to use all your apps. Facebook has fixed it so you can use app passwords instead of your account password to log in to certain apps (for example, Skype). According to Facebook’s Help section, “when you use an app password you won’t have to wait to receive a [login approval] code. Instead, you can skip login approvals and log in immediately.” You can read more about app passwords at http://on.fb.me/FBAppPasswords.
To generate an app password, follow these instructions:
The Generate App Passwords dialog box appears and explains that some apps don’t work with login approvals.
A window appears, with the choice of creating another password (click Next Password) or finishing (click Finish).
If you want to create another password instead, click Next Password and repeat Step 4.
You can remove a password by clicking App Passwords and then clicking the Remove link next to the password you want to delete.
Trusted contacts are friends who can securely help you if you have trouble accessing your account.
To set up a trusted contact, follow these steps:
A window appears, explaining more about trusted contacts.
Recognized devices are those you’ve used to log into your Facebook account. For instance, if you activated the Login Notifications option discussed earlier, you named your primary device. That device is listed under Recognized Devices. As you use other devices to log in, and they are confirmed as belonging to you, you can name those devices as well, and they appear in Recognized Devices too.
Any device listed under Recognized Devices doesn’t require secure login confirmation. You can remove a device from this section simply by clicking the Edit link in the Recognized Devices row and then clicking the Remove link next to the name of the device. Be sure to click Save Changes to complete the removal process.
Click the Edit link to the right of the Active Sessions row to display a list of your recent active sessions on Facebook. You see the name and type of device used to log in and where the login occurred. If you see a location that doesn’t look familiar, be sure to check to see whether the session is linked to your smartphone, because those sessions don’t always reflect an accurate location.
Deactivating your account is not the same as deleting your account. When you deactivate your account, it’s still around but it’s not in use. People can’t find your timeline or view previous content you’ve shared, but friends can still tag you and invite you to events and groups. You also lose your admin status in groups, events, and business pages. You can choose to reinstate your account at any time, and Facebook will restore your timeline to the way it looked before you deactivated your account.
To deactivate your Facebook account, follow these steps:
A new page appears, asking if you’re sure you want to deactivate your account.
This optional step helps Facebook pinpoint areas that may need work.
When you deactivate your account, your friends can still tag you in updates, photos, and videos, and invite you to Events and groups. If you choose to opt out of future e-mails from Facebook, you won’t receive notifications about those tags and invitations.
If you’ve created any apps and you’re the only developer, Facebook gives you the option to edit or delete those apps before you deactivate your account.
A password confirmation window appears.
Another security check window appears. (Facebook really wants you to think about your decision!)
Your account is deactivated.
To reinstate your account, go to www.facebook.com and log in with your e-mail and password. Facebook sends you a confirmation e-mail (so be sure you can access the e-mail address you originally used to set up your Facebook account). After you confirm that you own your account, Facebook reinstates your timeline as it was before you left. However, you still won’t have any admin privileges for groups, events, or business pages that you had before you left. You need to have someone add you as an admin if that’s something you’re interested in.
Facebook has added several settings to give you more control over your timeline and who can tag you around the site. Click the Timeline and Tagging entry in the Account Settings pane, and you see the three options shown in Figure 2-10.
In the first section, you decide whether friends can add posts to your timeline. To change the setting, click the Edit link to and make a selection from the drop-down list. If you do allow friends to add items to your timeline, you can also enable a feature that lets you review the post before it goes live.
In the second section, you can view your timeline as other people see it by clicking View As. On the screen that appears, you can also enter a person's name in the text box and view the timeline as that person sees it.
The next setting, Who Can See Posts You've Been Tagged In, lets you control who can see posts you’ve been tagged in on your timeline. For example, you might not want your public following seeing the naked baby picture of you that your mother tagged. Click the Edit link and make a selection in the drop-down list.
The final setting in this section enables you to choose who can see what others post on your timeline. As with the previous option, click the Edit link and make a selection in the drop-down list.
In the final section, you can turn on tag review to review tags that friends add to your content before the tags appear on Facebook. When someone you’re not friends with adds a tag to one of your posts, by default you’ll always be asked to review it. When you approve a tag, the person tagged and his or her friends will likely see it.
Next choose if you want your friends, only yourself, or people on a custom list to be added as the audience of the post you’re tagged in if they aren’t already in it.
Finally, when a photo that looks like you is uploaded, Facebook will suggest adding a tag of you to the photo. This feature saves time when people add tags to photos, especially from events. You can allow Facebook to show tag suggestions to your friends or to no one.
Notifications are messages that alert you when someone tags you in an update, a photo, or a video or comments on one your posts (or comments on someone else’s post that you commented on). Some people like to enable notifications because they remind them to visit Facebook and respond to what’s happening. On the other hand, if you’re on Facebook quite a bit, notifications may be overkill. The Facebook team understands that everyone uses the platform a little differently, so you can determine how you receive notifications.
When you first create your account, your Notifications Settings page looks similar to the one shown in Figure 2-11.
The Notifications Settings page lists all the different types of notifications you can set. To determine which notifications you receive, click the Edit link or the View link next to each option. That option expands to show a list of further options. You can select or deselect the items about which you want to be notified. Remember to click Save Changes for each category so your changes will take effect.
As you use Facebook regularly, you’ll receive more notifications because people will be interacting with you regularly. If you find that you receive too many e-mail notifications from Facebook regarding updates and comments, return to the Notifications Settings screen and choose Email. A screen similar to Figure 2-12 appears.
You can choose to receive all notifications, except ones you have unsubscribed from (in Figure 2-12, you can see that Scott has unsubscribed from 78 items). You can choose to receive important notifications about you or an activity you’ve missed. Or you can choose to receive notifications only about your account, security, and privacy.
Enabling your mobile settings allows Facebook to text you when you have friend requests or other notifications. Additionally, you can text updates (including photos and video) from your phone directly to your Facebook Timeline.
However, if you have a smartphone, you can do all these things directly from the Facebook app for your phone. We explain mobile Facebook options more thoroughly in Book II, Chapter 6; you can also point your browser to www.facebook.com/mobile to find out more.
To set up your Facebook mobile settings, follow these instructions:
The Mobile Settings page appears, as shown in Figure 2-13.
The Add Mobile Phone dialog box appears.
The Activate Facebook Texts (Step 1 of 2) dialog box appears.
The Activate Facebook Texts (Step 2 or 2) dialog box appears.
You receive a text from Facebook with a confirmation code.
If you activate text messages, Facebook texts your notifications to your mobile phone.
Normal text messaging charges apply, so be sure you know the details of your phone’s data plan — you could be receiving a lot of texts if you’re active on Facebook.
The Facebook for Mobile page appears, and you can read more about your mobile options. You'll receive a text message from Facebook to let you know that the number has been confirmed.
To remove a phone number from your account, simply click the Remove link beside the number on the Mobile Settings page.
After you confirm a phone number, the Mobile Settings page displays additional options:
The Followers option (previously called Subscribe) on the Account Settings page has changed how many use Facebook. You can now allow people to follow your public posts, just like in Twitter or Google+, without having to become their friend. For many, especially journalists, celebrities, athletes, artists, and bloggers, this feature has also eliminated the need to run a Facebook business page.
Click the Followers entry in the left sidebar to turn on and off the Follow feature. When you turn on the feature, a new set of options appears, as shown in Figure 2-14.
A description of each option follows:
As you interact on Facebook, you’ll find that it’s nearly impossible to avoid Facebook applications. (We explain applications and how they work in Book VI.) Apps allow you to interact more fully on Facebook. When you play a game, share photos via Instagram (http://instagram.com), update your status via apps such as Post Planner (www.postplanner.com) or HootSuite (https://hootsuite.com), or even enter a giveaway, you utilize a Facebook application. With the release of timeline for personal profiles in late 2011, Facebook applications are becoming even more prevalent because they’re a primary way people choose to share an activity (for example, listening to music via Spotify or watching a movie via Netflix).
Each time you click an activity related to an application, Facebook checks to see if your account is already associated with that app. If it is, you move forward and complete the action. If your account isn’t associated with the app, you get an alert asking if you’d like to allow the app to have access to your account. And that’s where people new to Facebook start to get concerned (rightfully so; your privacy and protecting your account are important).
By their nature, apps must have access to your account in order to function properly. For instance, when you play Words with Friends (it’s like mobile Scrabble), you probably want to find out if any of your other Facebook friends are playing so you can start a game with them. By allowing Words with Friends to access your account, the app can look at your list of Facebook friends, compare it with the people who have Words with Friends accounts, and let you know who is already playing. Then, after you play Words with Friends, you can choose to post your wins to your timeline and let people know you are the king or queen of word strategy (or not).
If you don’t want to use applications or are uncomfortable allowing them to access your account information, you don’t have to install or allow the application on your account. The trade-off is that you’ll miss out on some functionality of Facebook and interacting with your friends on a different level. If you decide to allow an app, you can always remove it later.
To see which apps you currently have associated with your account, click Apps on the Account Settings page. A list similar to the one in Figure 2-15 shows you the name of the application, when you last accessed or used the application, the option to edit the application, and the option to remove the application.
If you want to see what permissions a particular app has for your account, click the Edit button next to the application name. The app window expands, as shown in Figure 2-16.
Figure 2-16 shows several options for working with this app:
Applications will become much more integral to Facebook than they already are. In general, people don’t like to leave Facebook to complete other actions. That’s why you can watch videos in your news feed instead of clicking over to YouTube, and why you can click a photo and see a lightbox with a larger version of the image. Facebook offers secure browsing and applications that allow payments inside the application. As product sales on Facebook grow, so will the use of applications that can connect third-party websites to Facebook and share inventory.
The Facebook Ads option on your Account Settings page, shown in Figure 2-17, isn’t referring to how to create Facebook ads (which we discuss in Book V, Chapter 4). Instead, this option explains how Facebook ads work with your personal timeline account, what the ads can and can’t do, and how your information and your friends’ information is (or isn’t) used with ads.
Take a moment to read Facebook’s explanation and familiarize yourself with how ads work. In a nutshell, Facebook is reminding you that third-party apps and networks don’t have the legal right to use your information (including your picture) in their advertisements. You can control third-party ad settings by clicking the Edit link and using the drop-down list to choose who can see your information if Facebook makes changes to its ad policies in the future. Be sure to click the Save Changes button to ensure that your preference is saved.
The Payment Settings page, shown in Figure 2-18, enables you to view and manage purchases you’ve made in Facebook. These purchases are conducted in games, apps, when purchasing a gift for someone, or when using promoted posts.
If you've previously purchased credits, you’ll see an account balance. As of September 2013, the credits system has been dissolved and you can now simply make app purchases in your country’s currency.
You can set up monthly recurring payments to subscribe to your favorite games and apps. Subscriptions are available only on select apps and the offer will vary depending on the app. If you've subscribed to a recurring payment, you'll see that information in the Subscriptions setting.
If you’ve ever made a purchase in Facebook, you can see your purchase history by clicking the View link in the Purchase History row. You might want to use this handy resource to keep track of how much you’re spending.
The following details are listed: order date, item purchased, purchase location, and amount. Click the dollar amount to display a new window with the time of the purchase, the payment ID, and the purchase method. You can also dispute the purchase if you don’t recognize it.
Facebook offers many payment methods. You can use your credit card, PayPal, or even a Facebook gift card. If you use PayPal to pay for Facebook ads (see Book V), your PayPal information is saved, and you can edit it in the Payment Methods row.
To add a credit card to your payment methods, follow these steps:
A new page appears, asking for your Facebook account password.
The Payment Methods box expands and lists payment options, as shown in Figure 2-19.
Facebook saves your information so you don’t have to resubmit the same information each time you want to buy credits.
The Preferred Currency option is pretty much what it sounds like. You can choose the currency that you use the most from the drop-down list. The currency you choose determines how Facebook displays pricing to you (for example, either in American dollars or euros). If you make changes to your preferred currency, remember to click Save Changes for those to take effect.
With the addition of Facebook Gifts (for details, see Book II, Chapter 9), you’ll want to add a shipping address to Facebook should someone purchase you a gift card or other item for your birthday.
To add an address, follow these steps:
A new page appears, asking for your Facebook account password.
(Any addresses you have entered previously will appear.)
Note that you can't edit an existing address. To remove an address, click Remove next to the address you’d like to remove. A warning box appears, asking you to confirm. Click Remove and the address is removed.
The Facebook card is a way for anyone to buy you a gift card and have the balance automatically added to your card. The first time someone sends you a Facebook card, you’ll be sent a reusable Facebook-branded card in the mail that looks like any other gift card. When you receive your card, you can use it to make purchases at the store or restaurant with which you have a balance. Then the next time you receive a Facebook card gift, the amount is simply added to your existing card.
The Facebook Card settings screen is shown in Figure 2-20. If your card is lost or stolen, click the Report Lost or Stolen Card link and follow the onscreen instructions.
The Current Balances row displays any gift cards you have at specific stores, as well as the current balance. Click View in this row to see who sent money to your card and when you spent the money.
The Support Dashboard screen, which is shown in Figure 2-21, enables you to see the status of your reports and inquiries. The following options are available:
If you decide to delete your Facebook account, your information becomes irretrievable. Unless you’ve made a copy of your Facebook data and saved that file somewhere other than Facebook, you’ll lose your photos, videos, status updates, comments, friends lists, and private messages.
To delete your account, follow these instructions:
The Delete My Account page appears, with a strict warning that you will not be able to retrieve any data after your Facebook account is deleted.
The Permanently Delete Account dialog box appears.
One more warning appears, explaining that your account has been deactivated but not deleted. If you log in to Facebook within 14 days, you have the option to cancel your deletion request.
You still have 14 days to change your mind. If you don’t log in to your account within 14 days, your Facebook account is permanently deleted.