One of the problems Facebook was concerned with early on was how to monetize the business. They had a lot of people starting Facebook pages, but they were not sure how they would turn that into a cash machine for the company. They have taken the Google model and super-sized it. What Facebook is doing is not only shear genius, but challenges all other companies that sell ad time or space to keep up, or face losing huge amounts of advertising. Why? It is far more efficient to buy ad space on Facebook than through any other media. With Facebook, the advertiser can hyper-target the customer because of all the information Facebook gathers. In most cases, they have the city you live in, your sex, your relationship status, how many kids you have, and now with the “Like” button, what kind of food, movies, hobbies, music, vacations, and more you like. A good advertiser can take their advertising budget and zero in on who they want to see their ads. Think about TV. You may like “Modern Family”. There are demographics available, like the average age of someone watching, but it is more like 25-49 year olds. There is a little more data than that available to the advertiser, but it is still a shotgun approach. You will hit your target, but a lot of the buckshot will be wasted. The buckshot is money. With Facebook, you can pick the age, the sex, and the other things already mentioned to help advertisers make better advertising decisions. Every time you click the Like button, they know a little more about you.

While you may not care what information Facebook has about you, you should. People don’t think hard when it comes to passwords. Your password can get stolen with the information you leave on your page. How many people use the name of a pet, a birthday, or something personal to them? You give thieves a head start on stealing your identity and more. Here are some things to do to take precautions against that.

* What is your birthdate?
* What is your zip code?
* What city did you meet your husband or wife?

Here are some other things to do to protect yourself.

* Restrict access to your profile to “Friends Only.” You can access this option in “Privacy Settings” under the “Account” tab.
* Also in privacy settings, choose the option that prevents search engines from finding your profile.
* Do not post the year you were born or indications of your exact age. Also never post your birthplace.
* Don’t post your children’s names anywhere on your page, including captions.
* Don’t post the street you grew up on, your first school, or any favorite teachers’ names.
* Avoid posting other favorites, like movies or artists.
* Never post your address or phone number, and consider keeping your e-mail private.
* Don’t post details of upcoming trips – it may not help someone break into your profile, but it will give advance notice you’ll be away from your home.
* Avoid clicking on third-party links that may be malicious programs disguised as a game or quiz.