Whether you want to make your timeline look better, fine-tune what appears in your news feed, or create a secret Facebook group. Here are some tips that will improve your experience and help you to become a Facebook Power User:
View Photos Full Screen
You can browse Facebook photos in full-screen mode, making for a better gallery viewing experience.
- In an album, click on the first image, then hover over the photo. A floating menu will appear at the bottom of the image.
- Click on “Options” and you’ll see the ability to “Enter Fullscreen.” Now you can browse with a clean, black background.
- To return to normal mode, simply hit the Escape key or the “X” on the top-right of your display.
Hide What You Read on Facebook
If you like Facebook’s new social reading apps, but don’t want to broadcast to the world what you read on your coffee break, adjust the settings accordingly.
- For apps that you’re already using, head to “Account Settings” from the drop-down menu next to “Home” at the top-right of your display. Go to the “Apps” tab.
- Now click “Edit” to the right of the relevant app. In the box that opens you’ll see “Posts on your behalf – Who can see posts this app makes for you on your Facebook timeline?”
Create a List Based on Your Interests
Have you taken advantage of Facebook’s “Lists” functionality?
Similar to Twitter lists, you can create lists based on your interests and then tune in for a targeted catch-up on certain topics.
To create your first list, simply click “More” next to the “Interests” section on your homepage menu. Click “Add Interests,” then “Create List.”
Your lists can be comprised of people, subscriptions and friends. Once created, you can choose to make them private to you or share them with the world.
Populate Your Map With Your Pictures
You can retrospectively add locations to images you’ve already uploaded to Facebook, making for an interesting map that shows all the places you’ve been.
To populate your map with photos, click on the “Photos” box under your cover photos and select “Add Photos to Map.”
You will then be able to scroll through all your images and add the relevant geo data.
Reposition Photos on Your Timeline
If you want your timeline to look as lovely as possible, you can fine-tune how your images appear.
If an image is off-centre or you can’t see the main focus of the photo, reposition it to look better.
Hide From Friends in Facebook Chat
There are bound to be a few people you’d rather not chat with on Facebook. Hiding, or appearing to be offline to certain friends, is simple.
Just click on that person’s name in the chat window, as if you were about to start a conversation, then hit the cog icon in the top-right.
From the menu, click “Go Offline to [Name].” You are now hidden.
Pre-Approve All Tags
Did you know you can set your Facebook account to require pre-approval before any tagged content appears on your timeline?
To set this up, select “Privacy Settings” from the drop-down menu on the top-right of your Facebook page.
Next to “Timeline and Tagging,” click on “Edit Settings.”
Look down for “Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your Timeline” and “Review tags friends add to your own posts on Facebook” — set these both to “on.”
Hide Annoying Content From Your News Feed
What appears in your Facebook news feed is the subject of much discussion, but you can control it, to a certain extent.
From the homepage, click on the pencil icon that appears when you hover over “News Feed,” and select “Edit settings.”
Here you can hide posts coming into your stream from certain people, certain apps and certain pages.
Create a Secret Group on Facebook
You can create a “secret” Facebook group that only you, and the friends you choose to share it with, can view. It’s a fun way to share members-only content with a select few.
To start your secret group, click “More” next to the “Groups” area on your homepage. Select “Create Group” on the next page that loads.
Once you’ve named your group, choose a fun icon from the drop-down menu, add friends and then check the “secret” option.
You will now see your new group under the “Groups” area on your homepage. Click on it to post to the group and view content from others.
Upload Images in High Resolution
Finally, Facebook’s default photo upload functionality is not high resolution.
If you want to ensure your images are the best quality possible, always check the “High Quality” box as you upload.
It will take a little longer, but the better images should be worth the wait.
Photo credit: Mashable Pictures
