Ground Report

You may have read a message on some of your friends’ status in the last few days saying something like:

“As you all know I like to keep my FB private except to those I am friends with. So if you all would do this I’d appreciate it. Thanks! With the new FB timeline on its way this week for EVERYONE…please do both of us a favor: Hover over my name above. In a few seconds you’ll see a box that says “Subscribed”. Hover over that, then go to “Comments and Likes” and unclick it. That will stop my posts and yours to me from showing up on the side bar for everyone to see, but most importantly it limits hackers from invading our profiles. If you repost this I will do the same for you. You’ll know I’ve acknowledged you because if you tell me that you’ve done it, I’ll “like” it.”

Is that real or an hoax? The answer from Facebook is pretty clear. On its official page, the social network explain the following:

“To control stories about your commenting activity in ticker and News Feed, always check who can see the privacy of the posts you’re commenting on. Learn more about sharing privacy. If you aren’t comfortable with who can see the post, please don’t comment on it or like it. If you do, a story about your activity will be eligible to appear on Facebook, including on your timeline (profile), in News Feed and in ticker.

Remember, your comments and likes are only visible to people who can see the original post. For example, you might comment on a photo one of your family members posts just to family. A friend of yours who cannot already view the photo will not see a story in ticker about your comment.

Please note that unsubscribing from a friend’s ‘comments and likes’ in your News Feed, does not have any impact on whether your friends see it when you comment on or like their posts.”

Basically, the advice that is circulating on Facebook is nothing but rubbish!

1. It won’t stop your posts being published;

2. It will stop you seeing when your friends have published a message to a large audience;

3. It won’t stop your “likes” or “comments” being published by your friends.

So, contrary to what Nike says: DON’T DO IT!

As for many thing on Facebook and on the internet, if you don’t want a comment or a “Like” to appear on your friends’ Timeline, simply don’t leave any comment at all! Otherwise, you will only have your eyes to cry…

.
(source: Facebook)