Comparisons
Comparisons
There is no single right way to run a page. Someone looking for clients or like-minded people needs openness, while someone sharing family news needs quiet and a small circle. The tables below help you weigh up the options and choose what suits you, not what your friends happen to do.
A private profile does not make a person secretive, and a public one does not oblige you to tell everything.
How this section works: we compare approaches, not social networks. The example statuses in the table are our own hypothetical examples, made up for illustration rather than taken from other people's collections.
Public or private profile
| Criterion | Public | Private |
|---|---|---|
| Who sees posts | Anyone, including people arriving from search | Only people you have approved |
| Who it suits | People who use their page as a showcase for a hobby or work | People who keep in touch with family and friends |
| Main risk | Random people learn your routine and who you spend time with | A false sense of security: friends take screenshots too |
| What to do | Move contact details and family photos to a close friends list | Check your list of approved followers from time to time |
What works as a status
| Type | Example (hypothetical) | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Joke | Hypothetical example: "Learning to bake bread. The bread is still learning to put up with me." | Low, as long as you laugh at yourself rather than at others |
| Quote | Better a thought of your own: "Reading a chapter a day and taking my time." | Other people's words are easily credited to the wrong author or passed off as your own |
| Mood | Hypothetical example: "A quiet day today." | Harsh words written in a bad moment are seen by colleagues and family |
| Plans | Hypothetical example: "Learning Spanish before summer." | Departure dates reveal when nobody is home |
| Location tag | Better without one; "Walking in my favourite park" will do. | An exact place and time show where to find you |
See also
- Guides
Step-by-step guides: how to write a status, choose a photo, set visibility, clean up old posts and agree on family rules. The article catalogue is here too.
- Settings
Settings found in almost every social network: profile visibility, close friends list, photo tags, login history, two-step login and archive.
- Security
The risks of a public profile: location tags, photos of documents, quizzes with personal questions, reused passwords, suspicious links.
- Fun statuses (in Russian)
The old address of the former site's collection of fun statuses: what happened to it and how to joke in a status without hurting anyone.
- Questions
Answers about this reference, about your status and profile, and about children and family rules on social media.
Sources
- Social networks' privacy help pages
Legal information is summarised in general terms from the official texts of the laws as of the preparation date. Social network settings and laws change over time, so check the help pages of the services themselves and the current versions of the laws.