Facebook is used (mostly) by members as a gated community. They want to keep information within the network, not have it published in the newspaper. News.com.au sucks sometimes:

we can't make media but we can provide News

Stinging status leads to Facebook fracas

WE are nominating this the Facebook fracas of the week. Names have been changed and bad words bleeped to protect the guilty.

Have you seen a bigger row recently? Let us know in the comments below.

It all began with a status update. Then it went downhill fast..

This sort of thing disturbs me – I know, I know, we the former passive readers are now publishers and should be aware of the invisible audience, but seriously, do you expect your emails to end up in the Sydney Morning Herald or some tabloid? Twitter I understand, it IS usually completely public, but Facebook, tsk tsk, we tend to leave settings on default - family and network can see all (not public), no RSS, no Google search etc. so are confused when our content makes it outside of Facebook.

So timely for these tips, published just af ew days ago

Great site AllFacebook with Top Ten Tips (click the link for the actual tutorial on how to do these things)

10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know

Posted by Nick O’Neill

1. Use your friends list (set privacy differently for the boss, family, friends, kids)
2. Remove yourself from FACEBOOK SEARCH (can’t be found by Facebook members)
3. Remove yourself from GOOGLE SEARCH (outsiders can’t peek in)
4. Turn off or control video/photo tagging (don’t get named and shamed on other people’s content)
5. Protect your own photo albums (privacy settings)
6. Choose which “news stories” appear on friend’s walls and newsfeed
7. Remove which applications post stupid messages to Facebook “friends”.
8. Make your contact information private (remove  email, phone, location etc)
9. Avoid embarassing wall posts (one of my friends is a New Zealand sex therapist and she has posted pretty interesting stuff that clients just LOVE to see).
10. Make private friends list (“hi, Laurel said we should be friends!”-DID NOT!)

Remember, you don’t have to turn them all ON (or off or whatever). For instance, I keep my business contact information there. But the photos of me… never mind. *slams door*

I blogged about the soldier who died in Afganistan, and there was a hint that the photos of his children had been ripped from his Facebook profile by the media.  Things to think about, I guess.