So that things can be discussed/shared beyond their friend list. I post a lot of pieces of my personal life on my Facebook, so I keep mine somewhat private, but a lot of people share mostly memes or funny stories or discussions that don’t necessarily need to be private.

A lot of it is because it is the default setting, and a lot of people don’t take the time to adjust the settings when they sign up.

Sometimes it is because you want to get the word out widely about something. I rarely do but I might if I wanted to publicize a friend’s gig or something.

Why not, great idea. Let the U.S. Government know what you’re up to at all times. Be sure and post your SS number for the identity thieves while you’re at it.

If you post something just for friends, or even just for yourself and then post something else to public, does putting the public setting on that item override the other settings?

If you then reset to you only does that mean the item you put out to public is no longer available? which I guess is really just the same question backwards

@rojo No – it’s item specific.

@janbb good to know. Thanks…... the public will be getting a lot more stuff from now on.

I do this with a lot of things I want people to share. Like posts of missing pets and such.

My page is mostly private, but I make certain posts public so that they can be shared (usually volunteer opportunities or charitable posts that need to be visible.)

My facebook feed is public, but I curate it very carefully. I don’t allow people to post on my wall. If somebody tags me, I remove the tag. I keep it public because I post a lot of science links, astronomy photos, and things of general interest with a high degree of humor (at least it amuses me). I never post personal stuff on it. I rarely post anything about politics or religion. I keep the signal to noise ratio high. You’ll never see a picture of me drinking a beer or a picture of a plate of food. Nor will you see me sharing a news story about Trump.

Even if you keep your settings at “private” Facebook is still very, very public and anybody can hack into whatever you post and see it. Pretend that your boss, your mother, and any future employer can see your feed.

Some people I know practically use Facebook as their blog.

It’s annoying to me that some people have their Facebook set on public. I say that knowing it’s not really something for me to be annoyed about. When I post on a friend’s status I want only that person and their friends to see what I wrote. Shared links are different, I’m talking about topics like religion and politics, and even controversial current events. I know better now.

@JLeslie I hate that, too. I avoid liking or commenting on posts because they are public.

Me, too @JLeslie and @ANef_is_Enuf. Lately I look at the icon near their name when I am considering commenting on photos. If it shows “public” then I don’t comment.

I think people don’t realize that when they make all of their posts public, all of their friends are forced get to see all of that person’s OTHER friend’s stuff when they “like” or comment on it. So I have seen boat loads of private pictures of people’s children, death bed photos, and other things that are not meant for me to see. Also, when people make all their posts public, every flippin’ comment or like shows up in my newsfeed. I don’t know any of those people except for one or two that might be my mutual friends. The other 50 or 100 people have no relation to me whatsoever, but I get to see every one of their posts and their respective kids and dying relatives.

I try not to “like” or comment on any public post, even if it’s by a friend who I like, and even if the post is interesting. Why? Because all of MY friends will see my likes and posts on total stranger’s posts, even if the post has nothing to do with them at all. If I wanted to share that info with my own friends, I would have done so in the first place. People do not realize that when they “like” or post on one friend’s “public” post, everyone in their own friends list gets to see it, whether they want to or not. Whether it should be private from those people or not.

I NEVER make my own posts public. You are asking for trouble, and risking your own privacy, as well as the privacy of your naive and unsuspecting friends who have no idea that dying Aunt Molly is being seen by every one of your friends, and likely you are inviting viruses that are passed along. Plus, it’s just a pain in the ass for all of your own “friends.”

Some people may want replies.

I have mine as public mostly because I rarely post anything that requires privacy. Most of the stuff I post is of general interest (at least to me) and I welcome comments. If someone is a troll I block them.