With billions of monthly active users, Facebook is now by far the most popular social network in the world.
On Facebook, we post our photos, we organize parties and events, we follow the daily life of friends and family, but above all we discreetly peek at the profiles of others.
And yet some of Facebook's features and settings remain obscure to many of its users. Through this article we will review some of these features and practical settings that it is good to know:
1. Clean up your news feed
It is important to keep a clean Facebook news feed so that you can follow the activity of your contacts without being overwhelmed by the advertising messages of a brand or a pseudo friend who posts anything and everything.
For clean up your news feedthe fastest and most efficient method is to move your mouse cursor over the "News Feed" link, which is on the far left and at the top of the link bar, then click on the gear symbol (circle) that appears to the left of the link. A dialog box will open showing all your subscriptions. From here you can unsubscribewith a simple click on the button, pages or contacts that pollute your news feed.
2. Send a file to a friend
No need to leave Facebook to send your internship report to your friend or your PowerPoint presentation to your colleague. You can do it directly from a Facebook chat window. Just click on the gear symbol and then on add files.
3. The "Other" message box
You may not have noticed but you havea message box where all the messages from people you don't know and with whom you have no contact fall. If, like me, you have never checked your "other" mailbox, then you should have quite a few unread messages.
To access it click on "messages" in the list of links on the left > once in the inbox, click on "Other" at the top left.
4. Become untraceable on Facebook, Google and search engines
If you think you have enough friends as it is, or if for privacy reasons you don't want to be found by typing your name in the Facebook search bar, on Google and other search engines, then here's how to proceed:
Click on the menu at the top right symbolized by a downward arrow > click on settings > click on the "privacy" section > go to the bottom of the page and modify the settings according to your needs.
5. Lesser known emoticons
Emoticons are particularly popular on Facebook, they are used to spice up discussions by conveying all sorts of emotions.
Some emoticons are widely popular because of their ease of use, others are less known and require the right code. Here are a few that are sure to stand out among your friends:
- Type (y) to give a thumbs up (like)
- Type (^^^) if you like sharks.
- Type :poop: to get a ... it will be a surprise.
- Type <(" ) for the penguin.
- Type <3 to make a heart (lower symbol and the number 3).
6. Disable automatic playback of videos and ads
Useful if your connection is not fast or simply to avoid having a Facebook news feed that looks like a Christmas garland.
To disable automatic playback of videos and ads: click on the menu at the top right symbolized by a downward arrow > click on settings > click on the section called "videos" > choose the option "No" for "automatic video playback".
7. Discover interesting places to visit
At first glance Facebook is more focused on people and their surroundings but you can also use it to discover interesting places to visit in your city or in your next travel destination.
To take advantage of it, simply go to Facebook Places at the address: https://www.facebook.com/places then type the name of the city you want to explore.
8. Know if someone else is logging into your Facebook account
Want to confirm that no one else knows the password to your Facebook account, and that no one else is logging in but you? There's a Facebook feature to make sure of that.
Click on the menu at the top right symbolized by a downward arrow > Click on the section called "Security" > Click on the edit button for the "Where you are logged in" setting at the bottom of the page > You should have a list of recent logins.
9. Save for later
When you need to log out and don't have time to comment or read a post, you can use the Facebook's registration feature to keep it warm and read it quietly when you come back later.
For save a Facebook postClick on the small arrow in the top right corner of the post, then on "Save linkor video or other depending on the type of post. Once one or more recorded posts, you can find them by clicking on the link "Saved which is located on the left sidebar.
10. Block a person on Facebook
Sooner or later, someone will come along and disturb your peace and quiet, annoy you or annoy you to no end. That's when Facebook's blocking feature will come in handy and allow you to plunge the rascal into the ocean of indifference.
For block definitively a person and prevent him from having any interaction with you (see your profile, chat with you, tag you on photos ...) follow these steps :
Click on the padlock symbol at the top right > click on "How do I block someone from contacting me? > enter the name or email address of the person you want to block > click on the "block" button to validate.
