Facebook 101: 25 Tips and Tricks
Set up your News Feed preferences
Assuming you've added a couple friends on the site, you've probably started to notice the never-ending 'News Feed' on the home page pumping out updates on your friends' activities. If you're like us, you may have grown tired of seeing when friends add new apps or when that old friend from middle school posts slightly embarrassing poetry.
You have several options. First, hover your mouse to the right of a note within the news feed, and you'll see a pencil icon pop up. Clicking the icon reveals the option to read more or less about the person posting the update, which lets you adjust the frequency that you hear from certain people.
You can also scroll down to the bottom of your feed and edit feed options by clicking on 'Options for News Feed.' Sick of status updates? Just drag the equalizer-esque button all the way down. Don't want to miss any of the photos uploaded by your friends? Drag it to the top.
Losing Face on Facebook
Facebook is going to rewrite the book on standard office excuses, at least for its shortsighted users. Kevin Colvin, an intern at Anglo Irish bank, thought that had an ironclad story when he asked off to attend to a "family emergency." When his boss was alerted to this fresh picture posted to his Facebook profile during his absence, that story lost just a tad of its believability -- unless he was curing Aunt Hattie with his magical powers and a potent hoppy elixir. We're sure that posting the picture seemed like a good idea at the time, Kevin, but you were sadly mistaken. Same goes for that costume.
Students at Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey were shocked and confused when the news trucks rolled up to get the scoop on a set of Facebook photos. Obtained by a nosy parent, the pictures featured underage drinking that led to the suspension of school athletes. Many saw the role of the photos in the punishments as legally questionable, but despite organized protests and other umbrage, many students opted to just take their own racy Facebook pictures down as soon as possible. Live and learn, everyone -- just don't post visual evidence of it happening on your profile.
Even the charmed lives of beauty queens can be dragged through the mud by Facebook photos taken far away from the pageant stage. Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo discovered this firsthand over the summer when she was the target of a strange "blackmail plot" centered on profile images of her partying and carrying on in a less than royal fashion. She ended up releasing the photos herself, and soon everyone was wondering what the fuss was all about -- from venture capitalists to gossip reporters, Facebook has a tendency to get people riled up.
Thinking about shoplifting some clothing? Here's a tip -- think twice before posting pictures of yourself modeling the hot merchandise on Facebook. Two students at Radford University in Virginia learned this lesson the hard way when a store owner was tipped off and found the incriminating images on Facebook. A stroke of the 'print' button, a trip to the police office, and the bust was complete.
This story -- women who show little discretion in their alcohol consumption and even less when documenting their misadventures on their profiles -- seems to have started the most recent wave of Facebook embarrassments. While it's difficult for many to understand the personal pride and motivation behind such excess, it's even more mind-boggling to know that these exploits are being glorified online for all to see. Mom must be proud, and potential employers are surely beating down the doors.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Melissa said 3:30PM on 11-13-2008
This needs to be on FaceBook. There's one you forgot though. People who send waaaaayyyyy too many "gifts". They must be stopped!
Reply
Tim said 4:30PM on 11-13-2008
Good call Melissa :-)
I would also add that it is good to know that you can choose to less from certain "friends" and more from others.
My least favorite status is "John Doe is at work".
ughh.