夜 ● 色

Below is a re-post from my another blog in response to my friend's claim that "there's no circle and circle-specific posting feature in Facebook". For those who are not in the Google+ "circle of trust" (as in "Meet the Fockers") yet, below are the capture of their circle power. Also on another note, Google has replaced user profile page with g+ if you've joined. This is a strong move for them.

The famous g+ Circle

After Google+ ("g+") is introduced, some has said the real challenge has come. I can't help but compare this to the political scene in the country. I am always pro bi-partisan agenda. Therefore I believe both will co-exist, but frankly, Facebook won't get dethroned any time sooner.

One of the favourite feature in g+ is Circle and circle-specific posting/sharing. Here I'll tell you same concept has been made available by Facebook long time ago, and Facebook version is actually more powerful (because as Social Network pioneer, privacy is a forefront issue). However Google being Google, they have a way to make things simple to use, which I guess Facebook can take as lesson.

Without further ado, here it is:

1. Click on Account/Edit Friends.

2. Click “+ Create a List". This is your "circle". Give it a name and select its member. If you want to assign a new friend to a circle or a re-assign the membership, just click Friends, then mouse-over the friend in focus and "Edit Lists". Same as "circle", your friends can belong to more than one group.

3. You can pre-set privacy of your Facebook activity based on group. Click Account/Privacy Setting, then click 'Custom Setting'.

4. Inside Custom Setting, you can specify which action by you can be viewed by which group as well as actions by others (such as tag). Usually there're default selection of "Everyone", "Friends of Friends" and "Friends Only". There's a 4th choice, a powerful choice, called "Custom".

5. Custom Privacy allows you to specify individual and group that can see or be excluded from your activity. Note that both include and exclude actions total to overall view, such as ADD/include everyone MINUS/exclude "Limited Profile". Facebook has a default "Limited Profile" group which is for you to consistently limit this group to very limited view of your activity (because you cannot 'unfriend' them).

6. Privacy Setting is useful for ALL activities specified, such as ALL posts. What if you want to exclude a group or person from certain (not ALL) posts? The Custom Privacy is applicable to each post as well. Note that after you have done step 5, all your posts inherit those attributes (Profile-level setting). However you can overwrite them in each post if you choose so.

7. Same concept goes to sharing (such as some juicy Youtube video you want to share with you mate but not your girlfriend) as well as album.

8. Place check-in seems to have Profile-level Custom Privacy only. But like 3G video call, if you want people to track your where-about through Facebook, what privacy you're talking about to begin with? Also note that per post/share/album privacy is applicable in desktop/full Facebook version only i.e. not applicable to Facebook app or even Facebook-touch. However the Profile-level Custom Privacy still applies.