Facebook Basics FAQ

Facebook Basics: Who Sees What Where When

OK, I have been FB Active for a few weeks now. But I still get a head-swirl when I try to think too deeply about who, what, where, when on FB. Just the basics mind you. Like:

• Do my friends see all my postings? What can my friends see?
• Why can't my friend see my postings?
• Do their friends see my postings?
• Do my friends see my page's postings or only the people who have "liked" my page(s)?
• Do I need a certain minimum number of friends before my postings will appear in my friend's News feed?
• What is the difference between posting on your wall and via the News Feed/Home page?
• What is the difference between your Profile page and your Home page?
• What is the difference between your Wall and the Publisher?
• If you tag someone, who sees it; where?
• If someones posts on your wall, where does that appear?

Towards trying to find some answers, I have a friend's account so via that account and its interaction with my account, I can try to work out the who what where when issues. But I confess that though I have started this research process, it is giving my head more pain than before!!! Urgh.

What can my friends see wrt to me?

Depends on your privacy settings but generally, your friends see (on their News Feed):

• when you initiate something - e.g. you post on your wall,
• you "like" something (then they can see what it is you like, plus any photos, persons, links, etc.)
• when you accept something (e.g. hug, heart, gift, etc.)
• you writing on their wall (if they have allowed others to be able to write on their wall)
• when you comment on someone else's post (and then they will also be able to see all the attached people who also made comments re the same post)

Why Can't My Friend See my Postings?

I have set my privacy settings so that everyone, including my friends, their friends - everyone can see my postings (what I write in the publisher). So how come some friends cannot see my postings?

Ans:
It may take a few seconds before it shows up on your friends' News Feed. They might have to refresh (click Most Recent link at top of page)

But even then it might not show up. Here is why (copied from FB):

Live Feed automatically determines which friends to include based on who Facebook thinks you want to hear from most. You can manually adjust this list below.

I am guessing that the algorithm that FB uses to determine which poster show up on your Live Feed includes how popular (number of friends?), how active, how many times you have posted on that poster's wall?

So if you want to make sure you see a specific friend(s) postings, you can manually adjust this.

How:
In your Live Feed page, go all the way down the page. At the very bottom is a "Edit Options" links. If you have enough friends (so that there may even be too many postings to your Live Feed and FB has to "automatically determine" who gets shown and who does not) you will get a pop-up box like below where you can manually adjust some of your settings.

The people you entered into the "Show More" box will have their postings show up in your Live/News Feed (when you click "Most Recent")

Difference Between Wall and Publisher

Wall

The "wall" is the section that shows all your postings, interactions (highlighted in rectangle in image here)

Publisher

Whether you are in your Home page or Profile page, the publisher (box) is where you post. And whether you post via your Home page (under News Feed) or via your Profile page (under your Wall tab) - your own postings will appear in your wall.

Your postings are postings started by you. Comments (where you comment on someone's else post, is not your posting and will not appear in your Wall - unless of course, you were commenting on your own post.

Posting on Someone's Elses Wall

If you post on someone's wall, where will that appear?

Ans:
* on poster's Home Page > News Feed > (probably) Most Recent
and it will have your name (as the poster) followed by a right-arrow, followed by the person on whose wall you posted.

* on that person's wall (but not on their News Feed)

So if you post on someone's wall, that will show up in your Home page but not in your Profile (Wall).
It will however show up on their Profile (Wall) but not in their News Feed.