Facebook’s privacy settings allow users to control who can see their posts and information. By default, posts are visible to friends of friends on Facebook. However, users can customize their privacy settings to limit post visibility to only their friends or even a custom group of people. So whether you can see friends of friends posts depends on the privacy settings of the original poster.
Can I see all my friends of friends posts by default?
No, you cannot see all friends of friends posts by default on Facebook. When users post content on Facebook, they can choose who can view that content – friends, friends of friends, specific groups or custom lists of people, only themselves, or public.
The default setting for posts on Facebook is ‘Friends’, which means the post is visible only to the user’s friends. It will not be visible to friends of friends unless the user changes the privacy setting for that specific post to ‘Friends of Friends’ or a wider audience.
So you will not see posts from all your friends of friends in your News Feed or when visiting their profiles. You will only see posts they have set to be visible to ‘Friends of Friends’ or wider.
What are the options for post visibility on Facebook?
Facebook provides users with several options to control post visibility and audience:
Public
Public posts can be seen by anyone on or off Facebook, including people who are not your friends or friends of friends. Public posts may also show up in search engines like Google.
Friends of Friends
With this setting, your posts can be seen by your friends and their friends. This is wider than Friends but not fully public.
Friends
The default setting. Friends posts can only be seen by your friends on Facebook.
Specific friends or lists
You can also customize your audience and choose specific people like close friends or family. Or you can create custom lists of people like classmates, coworkers etc.
Only Me
Posts set to Only Me are private and can only be seen by you. Others will not see these posts on your profile or News Feed.
So in summary, the post visibility options from most public to most private are:
– Public
– Friends of Friends
– Friends
– Custom (specific people or lists)
– Only me
How do I adjust my privacy settings on Facebook?
You can adjust your overall privacy settings as well as settings for individual posts by following these steps:
Adjust Overall Privacy Settings
1. Click on the arrow in the top right corner and select ‘Settings & Privacy’
2. Click on ‘Settings’ in the left menu
3. Click on ‘Privacy’ in the left menu
4. Under the ‘Your Activity’ section, click on ‘Activity Status’
5. Here you can choose who can see your future posts by default – make your selection
6. For past posts, click ‘Limit Past Posts’ at the bottom of this section
7. Here you can limit old posts to Friends, Only Me, or a Custom audience
8. Click ‘Review a Few Posts’ to verify the change
9. Click ‘Limit Old Posts’ to apply the setting
Adjust Individual Post Privacy
When creating a new post:
1. Click the audience selector below the post box
2. Choose from the options – Public, Friends, Friends except…, Specific Friends, or Custom
3. This will only change the visibility for that specific post
How do I see friends of friends posts?
Here are some ways you can see posts from your friends of friends on Facebook:
– Visit a friend of friend’s profile directly – you will see any posts they’ve set to Friends of Friends or Public visibility.
– Like or comment on one of your friend’s posts – this may trigger the friend’s other Friends of Friends posts to appear higher in your feed temporarily.
– Join the same Facebook groups or events as friends of friends – their posts in those public groups will be visible to you.
– Adjust your News Feed preferences to show you more posts from Friends of Friends.
– Share mutual friends with someone – having more friends in common makes their public posts more likely to appear for you.
But without directly friending someone, you won’t see all their posts since many are likely set to Friends-only visibility. The above methods can help surface some friends of friends content.
Should I change my privacy setting to Friends of Friends?
Here are some pros and cons of having a default post visibility of Friends vs. Friends of Friends on Facebook:
Pros of Friends of Friends
– Allows you to connect with a wider audience beyond just your direct friends list.
– Makes it easier for friends of friends to discover your profile and posts.
– Expands your networking reach and possibilities of connecting with new people.
– Allows friends to share your posts easily with their own networks.
Cons of Friends of Friends
– Less privacy – posts are visible to people you may not know well.
– Harder to restrict access for specific posts since it’s the default.
– More chance of unwanted comments or interactions from broader audience.
– Friends could share posts with unintended audiences.
Pros of Friends
– Posts stay within your circle of direct friends only.
– Maintains privacy and control over who sees your content.
– Easier to make exceptions for specific posts – just change to Friends of Friends.
– Limits exposure to unwanted interactions from strangers.
Cons of Friends
– Harder for friends of friends to discover your profile and posts.
– Limits your engagement and reach since audience is narrower.
– Makes it harder for friends to easily share your posts with their networks.
– Need to proactively change setting for posts you want to share broadly.
So in summary, Friends of Friends allows for more reach and connections but less privacy. Friends is more private but restricts your audience and exposure. There are good reasons for either option depending on your priorities!
Should I be concerned about privacy with Friends of Friends?
Having a default visibility of Friends of Friends does open your posts to a wider audience than just direct friends. Here are some privacy risks to consider:
– Friends of friends are still essentially strangers, and may misuse information or photos you share.
– There is potential for posts to be taken out of context and shared beyond the intended Friends of Friends audience.
– With a larger pool of viewers, you are more likely to encounter unwanted comments or harassment on posts.
– Details shared to Friends of Friends could create issues if they reach unintended audiences like employers or family members.
– Photos set to Friends of Friends are vulnerable to being downloaded and shared by viewers you don’t know well.
– You lose control over who specifically sees your posts when sharing to all friends of friends.
However, you can still take steps to protect your privacy:
– Customize settings for sensitive posts to limit visibility.
– Restrict personal information like phone numbers to Friends Only in your profile.
– Be cautious about oversharing private details publicly.
– Use post privacy checker tools to identify high-risk posts.
– Limit old posts visibility to Only Me or Friends to reduce long-term exposure.
So having aFriends of Friends setting requires more vigilance, but doesn’t necessarily mean you need to compromise your privacy if you take appropriate precautions.
Conclusion
By default, most posts on Facebook are set to be visible only to the user’s direct friends list. To see friends of friends posts, those users have to actively change the visibility for each post to Friends of Friends or Public.
As a user, you have control over your privacy settings and can limit your posts to Friends if you are concerned about sharing too widely. But allowing some Friends of Friends visibility can help expand your reach and allow friends to easily share your posts within their own networks.
Ultimately it comes down to personal preference based on your priorities for privacy versus reach on the platform. But regardless of default visibility settings, it is important to be cautious about oversharing sensitive information and utilize Facebook’s privacy tools. An informed approach can help balance the benefits of connecting with a broader audience with the need to maintain control over your information.