How To

How to customize your Facebook Cover photo

Like the header of a blog or a splash page of a Web site, the Cover photo is the first thing your friends and prospective subscribers will notice upon visiting your profile Timeline. To help you make the best impression upon your visitors, follow these tips for designing the best Cover photo.

Here are the basics:

The cover photo size is 850x315 pixels. Anything smaller than 850P wide will be stretched and pixelated. It's public. Anyone--friend or not--who visits your page can see it. It doesn't have to be you. Your cover photo can be a photo of … Read more

Web content recommendations based on your browsing history

One of the chief problems with our networked lives is a sort of information obesity: we've got way too much to take in, yet we may stick with our go-to sources even when there are other, potentially better sources, out there waiting for us.

Sitesimon wants us to broaden our horizons by checking out sites similar to those we already visit. It's easy to use, and here's how to get started:

Sign up for a free Sitesimon account and install the Sitesimon extension for Chrome. This happens automatically as you sign up, but you can also ask … Read more

How to use Facebook subscriptions

Facebook recently introduced a Subscribe button that's similar to how Twitter's follow button works.  It opens up a whole new way to add content to your News Feed or to share content with others.  So get ready, because we're about to show you how to follow Mark Zuckerberg's and Sharon Vaknin's updates, even if they don't accept your friend request.… Read more

Seven smart tricks to clean up and simplify your Facebook experience

Every popular Web service has experienced the cycle: Roll out changes, experience massive user backlash, modify changes somewhat, wait for users to get used to the new system, repeat. Facebook just rebooted its own cycle recently, and while we've covered some of the more interesting (and egregious) of the changes, it turns out that Chrome and Firefox users can roll back certain of the new features that can make their FB experience more comfortable. 

Restore Facebook posts to chronological order. Well, you can't roll back every last change, but the  Facebook Classic extension for Chrome … Read more

How to disable autotagging on Facebook

If you have friends who love to upload pictures to Facebook, chances are that you get tagged pretty often. But sometimes you don't want others to be able to share pictures of you without prior permission. By default, Facebook lets friends tag you in posts, in photos that look like you, and check you in to places that you haven't visited. Here's how to put a stop to any (or all) of these tag-happy features:

Step 1: Log in to your Facebook account and click on the menu in the top-right corner (small arrow).

Step 2: Select … Read more

How to import Facebook birthdays to Google Calendar

Do you forget your Facebook friends' birthdays because you don't log in to Facebook enough or because you keep forgetting to take your ginkgo biloba? Consider using Google Calendar alerts and stop writing belated birthday wishes on your friends' Facebook walls.

Editors' note: This post was updated May 14, 2012. We initially showed you how to export a file from Facebook, which you could then import to Google Calendar. There's a better method, as noted in the comments section, using your Facebook calendar's URL. This allows you to keep a current calendar of Facebook birthdays, even as … Read more

How to track your favorite TV shows

When you can't make it home for every episode, or two shows you like are on at the same time, digital recorders can catch every moment for later viewing. However, if you're watching a lot of shows, it's hard to keep track of what's airing each night. So how about an easier way to see what shows are coming up and which ones are already in your queue for watching? Here's how to turn your Google Calendar or Reader into a personal TV guide:

Getting started

Step 1: Create an account at TVRage.com and … Read more

Five Foursquare hacks you need to use

Foursquare held its first-ever global hackathon a few weeks back, with developers and hackers gathering in cities all over the world, including Paris, London, Ottawa, San Francisco, and New York. All of the hackers had one goal in common: create some out-of-the-box idea on top of the Foursquare API. Not only did they accomplish their goal, but some of them even won prizes for doing so. … Read more

Facebook guidelines for employers and employees

Imagine you referred to your supervisor as a "scumbag" in a Facebook post read by your coworkers. You might expect to be looking for a new job very soon thereafter, especially if your employer has a policy that prohibits making disparaging remarks about the company or posting anything about the organization or its managers without permission.

In a case involving Facebook posts by workers for an ambulance service, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) determined that the employee's name-calling was "protected activity" because it occurred away from the workplace and on non-work time.

The employer … Read more