Facebook can turn even the most confident girl into a crazy stalker. Whether it’s clicking rapidly through photo albums and tagged pictures or checking out every. single. girl. who posts on your random hook-up’s wall, we’ve all been there. And that’s OK. It’s not like we’re sitting in a windowless van outside someone’s house for hours, watching their every move. No, we’re just reading what they wanted us to read. No privacy settings, no problem!

But while creepin’ on The Book is totes acceptable, there are some things that just aren’t. So if you’re so-bored-you-want-to-die at your summer job, or even if you’re just obsessed with finding out which of your long lost high school peers has gotten knocked up – if you want to keep your creeping under wraps, remember these few things when you go on a stalking expedition. Read More »

My truly disgusting love/hate relationship with Facebook is turning more into hate than love after the social networking site changed its privacy settings yet again when thousands of users complained about how their privacy was non-existent. Not surprisingly, these settings require users to make changes manually, meaning those who don’t could have their bizness all over the web without them knowing.

If you don’t want scandalous pictures of yourself surfing on the net via Facebook or just want to maintain your mysterious whiff of privacy for that sexy man friend to friend request you, I’ve broken down the basics of the new privacy settings (that have yet to be implemented) for the better of social networking humanity. Take a gander and pay it forward to all your FB friends by passing this handy guide along, yo. Your friends will thank you.

The What:

1) Less buttons! Easier control over privacy!
Instead of the million detailed privacy descriptions that were impossible to navigate and far too time consuming to actually implement, Facebook narrowed it all down to just five main important categories. That means only 5 clicks to keep those kegstand photos out of your future boss’s hands.

2) Interests/Friends no longer publicly displayed
Remember when the pseudo-new privacy settings were enacted, everyone (including creepy stalkers) could see your “favorite quotes,” “about me,” “likes and interests,” and even who you were friends with? That bio information is still there, but now you can control whether you share that delicate information with just your “Friends,” “Friends of Friends,” or “Everyone.” Read More »

Snooze-fest.

Do you remember the good ol’ days freshman year? Sitting nervously in front of your laptop on a Sunday morning, awaiting the moment your friends would post the infamous pictures from the weekend? Then, it happens. At around noon, after a long breakfast spent reminiscing in the cafeteria Facebook explodes with album after album of weekend adventures. You spend hours laughing at your screen with your roommates: Who is that rando taking shots with us? You did a keg stand this weekend? Oh, so that’s where we got the blow-up doll!

Back in the day, Sunday mornings (or the entire day…) were dedicated to reflecting on the moments captured from the night before via Facebook. I know I used to love those days, when you found out you weren’t the only one running around campus having a good time….er….looking like a hot mess.

But fast forward three years when everyone and their your mother is watching what you decide to post on Facebook. You can’t just post everything you want anymore with reckless abandon; you’ve got your future to think about, and the judgment of your entire extended family (who are all now your FB friends), and the fact that Facebook is changing their privacy settings so often, you have no idea who can see your latest drunken exploits. So you start thinking before you post, de-tagging unflattering (from a professional perspective) photos, and deleting anything remotely inappropriate (“Let’s get crunk tonight!”)  from your Wall. Read More »

It was just another daily Facebook-check when a message from Mark Zuckerberg appeared on the top of my newsfeed. Blah, blah, blah. Shut up, shut up, shut up. We know there are millions of users on Facebook – my mother is on it for God’s sake – no need to write us a message about it, Mark! (Yeah, we’re on first name basis.)

Bored, I closed the letter and contined on to my daily Facebook routine (you know you have one, too):
Check notifications
Check boyfriend’s page
Check cute guy in class’s page
Check for new photo albums of friends…

And then I typed in my ex-boyfriend’s name. We’re not friends on Facebook anymore (so dramatic), but I just have to check if he’s changed his picture!  Don’t judge – you know you do it. Read More »

[It doesn’t matter what school you go to, what state it is in, how big it is, whether it is public or private, all girls or coed…there are experiences that all college students share.

No matter how crazy you think your personal situation is, it is not just you. So, let’s bring it all out in the open. Right here. Because you are not alone - we’ve all been there before.]

Your friend from class invites you to a party. Looking for a change of social scenery (there are only so many days in a row that you can play Kings with the same 6 people), you go. It’s a whole new social circle and you are excited to see what else your campus has to offer.

While waiting in line for the keg, you start chatting it up with a rather handsome man (in a pair of hot jeans…yes, you looked). Turns out, he’s also funny, charming, and has this cute little dimple in his left cheek when he smiles. You spend a good chunk of the night talking, but then the keg runs out and your friend drags you out of the house in search of greener (or boozier) pastures. Read More »

[Life isn’t black and white. As much as we wish we simply loved or hated things, there is often that whole annoying gray area in the middle. Like, we hate how Walmart treats its employees…but we love the low prices! Or, we love how that boy makes us laugh….but we hate that he has no motivation in life. Damn you, gray area; you make decision-making that much more complicated!

There are so many difficult choices in life (do we love or hate high heels??), so we thought we’d sort through ‘em right here. Every week we will discuss another issue we are torn up about. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!]

Ohh FB. I really do hate how much I love you.

Love: Clearly, Facebook serves its purpose as a social networking site. It’s great for ‘friending’ (and poking!) that cute guy you see around campus but don’t actually know, checking up on your friends from high school and leaving them funny video posts on their walls, and helping you to remember your lab partner’s birthday. Facebook makes it extremely easy to communicate with people without actually talking to anyone or putting in any real effort. Read More »

New Years resolutions were made (and probably broken ), but here is a new set of important resolutions that you might want to get started on. And, yes, they involve Facebook.

I don’t mean updating your status every 3 hours instead of every 30 minutes (addict), or finally getting even with your sister by posting up those New Year’s Eve pics of her passed out in her own puke (ew); I mean using Facebook for different purposes. So here we go.

Facebook resolution 1: De-Clutter your friend List.

Remember when you first joined facebook and you added everyone and anyone who added you just so that you could gloat to your friend that you had five more friends than her? Well, when the games stopped, what happened to all those random people that you added? Do you still talk to them? Have you ever talked to them? While having 200 friends verses 25 is cooler, if you don’t talk to half those people, it’s time to delete them. Do you really want that rando who friended you to know what you are doing at all times? Who knows what he’s doin’ with those pics you put up last week?!

Facebook resolution 2: Learn to use the privacy settings!

Because you really don’t want to have to deal with your conservative aunt who suddenly calls you asking “Since when where you an alcoholic and hookah smoker?” (Um, since 9th grade?) Even if your aunt/mom/dad doesn’t have a Facebook account, chances are they know someone’s daughter’s- friend’s- niece’s- cousin’s (you get the point) who has a huge mouth and grudge against you. So customize your photo albums so that only the people who you get drunk with (and a few others) see those specific pics. Read More »

Yesterday we published this story about some high-profile individuals who lost their jobs because of some unruly Facebook activity. If you’re thinking to yourself, “uh-oh, I love partying and taking pictures to post on Facebook, but I kind of want to have a job one day,” relax. You can have your cake and eat it, too.  Just make sure you’re utilizing all the appropriate privacy settings.  There are several steps to take to ensure your safety online, so just follow these tips!

1. Make all of your photos “Friends Only”

Tempting as it may be to leave photos up, it’s much safer to make them “Friends Only.” That way you know for certain who has access to your pictures. To do this, go here and under the option “Photos tagged of you,” click the drop-down menu and select “Only Friends.” Read More »