How to Create Multiple Limited Profile Lists

Limited profile lists can help you maintain your privacy online.

Facebook.com offers users flexibility when it comes to controlling which friends and acquaintances are allowed to see certain information that you post on your profile, and which are not. For example, by creating multiple limited profiles you can allow certain friends to view your personal information, such as your phone number and email address, while still keeping this information private from other friends who can see the rest of your profile.

Instructions

1. Navigate into your Facebook account and visit the "Friends" page. This page can be found on the left side of your Facebook homepage as a small tab underneath your profile picture.

2. Click the "Create a List" button near the top right corner of the "Friends" tab. This will allow you to create a list of friends that you feel comfortable sharing the same types of information with. For example, you may feel comfortable sharing your email address with people in your classes, but not with acquaintances you met outside of school. Create lists by grouping together people with whom you want to share the same things. Remember that you can create as many lists as you want if you are willing to spend the time.

3. Visit your privacy settings by clicking on the "Account" drop-down menu in the top right corner of your Facebook screen and selecting "Privacy Settings" from your options. Click the "Customize Settings" option near the bottom of the page to use your friend lists to create multiple limited profiles.

4. Choose things you share with others from the list that appears. For example, begin with "posts by me." Click on the "posts by me" option. A drop-down menu will appear. Choose "Customize" from this menu. Choose the "Specific People" option under "Make this Visible to These People."

5. Add friends to this list. In the text field that appears, type the names of the friends you want to view the information for which you are working on privacy settings. For example, if you created a list called "best friends" with whom you want to share your wall posts, type "best friends" into the text field. These friends will then be the only ones who can see things you post on Facebook.

References

• Facebook; Friend Lists and Privacy
• Surfing the Net with Kids: How To Use Limited Profiles On Facebook