Facebook never stays the same for long, always introducing new features for users to gripe about, then fall in love with. The newest function is Graph Search which allows users to search for others based on their likes, location, photos, posts, etc. While this could be useful, it is a good idea to audit your profile before it’s made available to everyone.
There are three main parts to this audit, which will ensure that your personal profile is ready for Graph Search. Bear in mind that this is for your personal account, not your business Facebook Page. This audit is ideal if you would like a more professional looking profile.
Step 1. Check who can search for you
The whole idea of Facebook is to be social, however you may not want to be found by every man and his dog on this platform. You can check who can search for your profile by:
Step 2. Check your Activity Log
The Activity Log is essentially a journal for Facebook. It covers everything you have done on Facebook, and provides you with a quick way to edit your profile. You can access it by:
Depending on how active you are on Facebook, it could take a bit of time to look through your activities. If you see something you don’t like, or would like to change, press the pencil at the right-hand side of the activity. This will allow you to edit the post, remove it from your timeline or delete it. Note, that if you remove it from your timeline, the information won’t be deleted.
If you press the Lock icon you can change who can see the post/activity on your timeline too. It would be a good idea to look through your whole timeline and ensure that any unprofessional comments, links, likes, etc. are either deleted or removed from your timeline. It wouldn’t be a good idea to make your profile completely private however, so ensure some posts – maybe ones related to your business, hobbies, interests, etc. – are still visible.
Step 3. Check who can see future posts
Facebook has included an option that allows you to set who can see future posts on your timeline. This will lessen the need for a future account audit. You can set this by:
In order to ensure your profile is optimized for Graph Search, carrying out this audit would be a great idea. As we stated above, you don’t have to make everything private, after all, this is a social network. Just make sure that anything that is unbecoming of the professional you are is removed or hidden from prying eyes. If you would like a little help ensuring both you and your business are ready for the next big Facebook feature, contact us today.