How I Use Facebook

It is well known that if you don't pay for a service you are the product.

I hope the recent news about Facebook is bringing this to more people's attention.

I would love to say goodbye to Facebook but it does have two main purposes that keep me around.

First, is that it is a great way to get in touch with people I may not maintain regular contact with but do want to reach out to.

Second reason is for groups. Too many organizations rely on Facebook as the way to communicate with members. I am hoping the listserv comes back to replace Facebook.

Not to say I don't scroll down the news feed when I am there to see what updates my friends post but that is secondary.

Steps to cut the information I am giving away to Facebook:

• I use a separate browser to going to Facebook. Currently, I use Brave built in blockers for ads and tracking. A side benefit is spending less time on Facebook. Now I only waste time on Twitter :)
• Do not use Facebook on the phone. I would delete it but unfortunately my phone does not give me that option. But, I am not logged in and do not have Messenger. I do not need Facebook tracking my location or anything else.
• I scrubbed the likes and groups I was part of. This has the added benefit of reducing clutter in the news feed.
• Removed personal data such as religion and political preference from my page.
• Take a look at your friends list, make sure you actually know the people there.

If you were only to do one thing, I would suggest scrubbing the groups and pages you have on your profile. Ask yourself, "is the benefit you get from that group worth the privacy you are giving up."

Most of us are not going to give up Facebook. We can take steps to limit the information they get for free.