Facebook profiles allow users to share information about themselves with friends, family, coworkers, and more. With over 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most popular social media platform worldwide. Developing an interesting yet appropriate Facebook profile can help you connect with other users, share life updates, and control how you present yourself online.
Why Have a Detailed Facebook Profile?
Here are some key reasons to take the time to develop your Facebook profile:
- Allows others to learn about your interests, hobbies, background, views, and personality
- Helps you reconnect with old friends, classmates, colleagues, etc.
- Displays your social connections and networks
- Provides a space to share photos, videos, and other media
- Gives you control over your online presence and identity
In short, your profile allows you to express who you are and what’s important to you in an online space. Putting some time into customizing it can help foster connections.
Profile Pictures
Your profile picture is one of the first things people will notice about your profile. Pick a clear, high-quality headshot of you smiling. Stay away from blurry, grainy, or group photos. You want the focus to be on you. Some tips:
- Use a photo from the shoulders up of just you
- Face the camera directly with good lighting
- Wear nice clothing (avoid swimsuits, etc.)
- Smile naturally and warmly
- Select a recent photo
Your profile picture helps form people’s first impressions, so make sure it looks professional or approachable depending on your goals.
Cover Photos
Facebook cover photos appear at the top of your profile. This space allows you to showcase interests, places you’ve visited, or important milestones. Some tips for selecting your cover photo:
- Choose an interesting landscape, cityscape, or other eye-catching image
- Feature an important event like a graduation, wedding, or vacation
- Showcase hobbies like sports teams, instruments, art, or pets
- Use filters sparingly – keep it simple
- Avoid cluttered or confusing photos
- Use high-resolution images for clarity
Update your cover photo periodically to keep your profile fresh and engaging. It’s a great conversation starter.
Personal Information
One of the main areas of your profile is the personal info section. Here are some dos and don’ts for filling it out:
| DO: | DON’T: |
|---|---|
| – List your current city and hometown | – Put your street address or house number |
| – Include your job title and company | – Share contact info like email/phone |
| – Mention schools you attended | – List your birthday or age |
| – State your relationship status | – Include political/religious views |
Be selective – only share personal details you are comfortable being public. Prioritize information useful for finding and connecting with others.
Bio
Your Facebook bio section gives you a blank slate to describe yourself or share an interesting quote or excerpt. Use your bio to give people a sense of your personality and what’s important to you. Some bio tips:
- List a few hobbies, interests, or fun facts
- Share motivational or funny quotes (cite the author)
- Include emojis or personality descriptors (e.g. “Bookworm,” “Dog lover”)
- Mention causes or organizations you support
- Describe dream vacations or bucket list goals
- Use humor and sincerity over arrogance
Keep your bio succinct – one to three short paragraphs or a few bullet points. Use it to give people conversation starters about your interests.
Work and Education
The work and education sections allow you to provide more details about your professional and academic background. Here are some ways to fill them out:
- List your current job title and company with dates
- Mention 1-2 previous roles or companies you’ve worked for
- Share your college or university with graduation year
- Add any graduate degrees or certifications
- List notable awards, societies, or publications
- Name important volunteer work or causes
Focus on positive information related to your qualifications, skills, and causes you care about in a professional context.
Places Lived
The places lived section shows where you have lived. Here are some tips for filling it out:
- List your current city/town and any previous ones
- Only include cities – no need for street addresses
- Add dates or years when relevant
- Can also include places you’ve lived abroad
- Okay to leave out very old/brief addresses
This information helps connect you with locals from areas you have lived before.
Contact and Basic Info
The contact and basic info section has a few other profile fields including:
- Contact email – Use a current email you check regularly. You can hide it from public view.
- Relationship status – List this if you want. Can also leave blank.
- Political views – Optional, but can list if it’s important to you.
- Religious views – Optional to include or leave blank.
Use your judgement – only provide details you are comfortable sharing publicly. The contact email is useful for receiving notifications.
Groups and Badges
Groups and badges showing pages and causes you follow or support are visible on your profile. When liking or joining groups, keep these tips in mind:
- Choose groups for causes, hobbies, or fandoms you genuinely care about
- Be selective – having too many looks cluttered
- Interact thoughtfully and positively with group members
- Avoid controversial, explicit, or hateful groups
- Support groups aligned with your values
The groups you associate with represent your interests and beliefs, so select ones that reflect who you are.
Life Events
The life events section allows you to share major milestones and happenings. These might include:
- New relationships
- Engagements or marriages
- New jobs or education
- Moves
- Births and adoptions
- Awards and achievements
Add life events to keep your profile current and share exciting news. But don’t feel obligated to post everything either.
Friends and Followers
Facebook friends and followers include:
- Friends – Actual people you know and directly connect with
- Followers – People who follow your public posts without being friends
When managing friends and followers:
- Accept friend requests thoughtfully – do you know this person?
- Decline requests from strangers or acquaintances
- Remove old contacts you no longer interact with
- Keep your friends list tidy and current
Your friends and followers represent your connections – choose them carefully.
Likes and Reactions
When liking pages, places, or posts on Facebook:
- Like pages related to your hobbies, interests, causes, etc.
- Be thoughtful about liking controversial pages
- Interact sincerely with liked pages and posts
- Limit likes to content you genuinely enjoy
- Unlike pages that no longer interest you
Likes indicate your tastes and views, so choose them selectively.
Sharing Posts and Media
When sharing your own posts, photos, videos, and other media:
- Share updates friends/family would find interesting
- Post well-lit, high-quality photos
- Caption posts to provide context
- Use hashtags relevant to your posts
- Share content aligned with your values and interests
- Avoid overposting – a few times a week is plenty
Your shares let people see your life and interests. Present yourself genuinely and positively.
Privacy
Managing your privacy settings helps control what is visible. Some tips:
- Use friend lists to customize who sees certain posts
- Limit old posts’ visibility if needed
- Check that visibility suits each post
- Hide your friends list if you want
- Turn off search engine visibility if desired
Find privacy settings that balance your comfort level with sharing. You can always change them later.
Do’s and Don’ts
Some final Facebook profile do’s and don’ts:
| DO: | DON’T: |
|---|---|
| – Present yourself positively | – Put sensitive personal info |
| – Show genuine interests | – Include inappropriate photos |
| – Engage with quality content | – Rant or vent frequently |
| – Keep personal details limited | – Friend/follow strangers |
| – Use privacy settings | – Post negative/harmful content |
Building an engaging yet appropriate Facebook profile allows you to connect with others, express yourself, and control your online image.
Conclusion
Developing your Facebook profile provides the opportunity to intentionally craft your online presence. Use your profile to connect authentically with friends new and old, share life updates, profess causes you believe in, and express your unique personality and interests.
With some thoughtfulness and care, your profile can represent your best self while allowing you to engage safely and positively with Facebook’s over 2 billion users. So take the time to create a personalized, detail-rich profile that tells your story – you’ll unlock the many benefits this popular platform offers.