Facebook beefs up sharing and privacy options

Facebook is beefing up its security and sharing options by allowing users to be more selective regarding who they show their posts to. The social networking giant has recently launched services which are similar to those of rival Google+.

Google+, Google’s latest attempt at social networking, managed to secure millions of subscribers in part thanks to its selective sharing feature”Circles”, which allows users to neatly order their friends into customised groups.

The official post from Chris Cox, Facebook VP of products said,

“Today we’re announcing a bunch of improvements that make it easier to share posts, photos, tags and other content with exactly the people you want. You have told us that “who can see this?” could be clearer across Facebook, so we have made changes to make this more visual and straightforward.”

Highlights of the new Facebook updates, which will be rolled out over the coming few days include:

Inline Profile Controls

It is now possible to control who sees what on your profile by selecting the friends list you wish to share your private information with. A dropdown next to each profile will keep users in control.

Profile and Photo Tag Review

Previously, users had a limited level of control over the photos and status updates they were tagged in. Now, Facebook allows users to approve all pending posts with your tagged photos.

View Profile As

By clicking on this new button, users can see how their profile looks to others.

Inline controls for Status Updates

All status updates can now be posted to the user’s selected Facebook group. This control also applies to post tags. Additionally, post sharing has changed its name from “Everyone” to “Public”.

Beer Goggles

Facebook now lets users change their groups after they have posted. Before, a post sent to the wrong group of people had to be deleted.

Updated Post Tags

Previously, only mobile users could “tag” their posts – now users can add their location from any device and from any location within Facebook.

Tag Removal

When a user is tagged on Facebook, they will now be presented with the option of removing this tag, as well as messaging the owner of the tag.

While Google+ may be a new face in the social media sphere, it has managed to garner over 25 million users and deliver a range of innovative features. In the future, its billion plus users may present a challenge to the 750 million users of Facebook.