Facebook Launches Lifestage App for School Teens

With a purpose in mind of targeting high-school goers, Facebook, the social media giant has launched a new iOS app known as Lifestage which requests the user to fill in their biographical details which is then turned into a virtual profile video and is shared immediately with their school networks.

Lifestage which is a standalone iOS app for individual under 21, requests users for their happy face, sad face, likes, dislike, best friends, best book and much more. The users however, instead of filling the biography test with script tend to shoot videos, which later on Lifestage tends to turn into video profile where others in their school network can view.

The app enables users to find video profiles that have been generated by other users in their school enabling them to know more about their classmates, their shared interests and much more, as conveyed by Facebook in a recent blog post. The post also mentioned that each time someone tends to update their page; it would show up in a feed prompting the others to check on it. Since all the posts are public, there is no choice of restricting viewing the same. The purpose, according to its inventor, was to connect members of the same school.

Privacy – A Matter of Concern

An expert had informed BBC that the lack of privacy was a matter of concern. School members could view each other’s profiles once the individual school had reached a registration of 20 members and above. Users above the age of 21 were only capable of viewing their own profiles according to the Tech Crunch website. But the app has cautioned that it cannot guarantee if all its users seem to be sincere. It states that they cannot confirm that people who tend to claim to go to a certain school really go to that school and all videos uploaded to your profile tend to be fully public content.

There is no messaging functionality forLifestage, though users could display their contact details from the other sites like Snapchat and Instagram. Presently on the iTunes store, the app has a 2.5 star rating with comments which describe it as `kinda sorta creepy’ and `confusing’. Around 8% of Facebooks’ US users seem to be between the ages of 13 to 19, according to the statistics website Statista which had been designed by a 19 year old, Facebook product manager, Michael Sayman.

Being Open Could Get in the Way of Getting Connected 

He had mentioned in a Facebook post that the app had been based on the original social network of early days. Way back in 2004, Facebook had been about `who I am’ where his relationship status could be posted and share about his favourite music. It was a way of expressing himself. Presently since Facebook has progressed so much more, there are chances of exploring that concept of `who I am’ once again, though for Generation Z in 2016. Dr Bernie Hogan from Oxford Internet Institute had informed BBC that the absence of privacy settings could tend to be unpopular.

He commented that the `lack of privacy settings on the app in its present condition is symbolic of Facebook ideology which is to stay open and connected as much as possible’.He further added that from their point of view it is a great idea though at times being open could get in the way of getting connected. This is already a known fact, since people tend to be reluctant in sharing things online if they have to share it with all. It also seems that they are attempting in pushing the boundaries of what is thought to be appropriate to share online and then walk back when faced with public criticism.

Get Your Photos Looking Better on Facebook

Facebook Compress Images – Appear Smaller in Size

If one tends to use Facebook, they would possibly upload an image at some point of time and though Facebook is good for sharing, it is also inclined to use some pretty callous compression which seems to make your images appear like crap. Having a large source of photos on the Web, it is not amazing that Facebook tends to hire heavy compression to its 250 billion images they have a tendency to store. Facebook is enormous and millions of images tend to get uploaded to Facebook daily which could be a great amount of data for them store.

Hence, in order to lighten the burden, Facebook is inclined to compress these images which make them appear smaller in size but it could also ruin the quality of the image. Usually when an image tends to pass around the internet, downloaded or re-uploaded and shared to a group of different services, it could turn out to be offensive. Facebook is said to mechanically resize image that are uploaded to the site though one can change it in the settings of their account. The user should be aware that uploading bigger image file would take up extra data and if one is on a metered plan, from your carrier, they need to keep a tab on their monthly outgoings.

Lossy Compression – Condense Size of File

The dominant photo file format, JPG, tends to utilise a form of `lossy’ compression, which means that it tosses out image data in order to condense the size of the file. If one has even toyed around with `Quality’ slider in Photoshop one would possible comprehend the compromise in the size of the file as well as image fidelity.

The revealing signs of JPG compression are `Blocky’ looking segments of an image, especially around edge detail or rise in colour. The compression is mainly obvious when a graphic is said to have hard edges like white type against a classified background. When one saves a JPG you should resave a JPG (when Facebook tends to convert your image on their server, and these compression artifacts seem to be more prominent. Uploading images over Wi-Fi connection tends to be faster and cheaper unless the user is on a slow network together with a data allowance. If the user has been using the Facebook app on Android phone, he could go to your news feed page and tap on the `More’ button which seems like three horizontal lines, towards the top of the screen.

You could scroll down on the list of icons to Help & Settings area and opt for App Settings, tap the button next to Upload HD Photos. Utilising the iPhone version of Facebook app, you could tap the three-lined `More’ button at the bottom of the screen, tap Settings and opt for Account Settings in the menu which tends to pop up. In the category list in Settings, tap Videos and Photos.

On the next screen which appears, go under `Photo Settings’ and turn on the button near `Upload HD’. In order to have your photos looking their best, the Help Centre at the site recommend to size them to widths of 720 pixels, 960 pixels or 2,048 pixels along with HD Photos setting support. With the HD Photo setting activated, some bigger images will not appear in full resolution since Facebook tends to have a maximum width of 2,048 pixels for normal pictures.

Seven Amazing Facebook 'Secrets' You Probably Didn't Know About

We all tend to use Facebook in order to get connected and be in contact with our friends, acquaintances and relatives who could be at any location of the world. Some of the features may tend to impose on us. Most of us may not be aware of some of the awesome features which have not drawn much of our attention. There are a few hints, tricks and tips which several users are unaware of Facebook though it has been around for over a decade. Facebook which is a social media behemoth, tends to have more than 1.44 billion active users per month where American seem to spend about 40 minutes daily on it which accounts for almost 20% of overall time online. However in spite of all the usage, there seems to be several features which the user may not realize Facebook tends to have. Here one can get some insight from the Facebook inbox right to getting a preview into the lives of strangers across the world:

1. See all who have rejected your request

If the user wants to know who have rejected their friend requests on Facebook there is a method in doing so. Devoted users of the social network for several years would have come across one or two rejections in creating a friend list which could comprise of ex-primary school mates, work colleagues as well as distant relatives. The process tends to take less than 60 seconds which can be done by opening Facebook, in the browser and not the app. Then you could click on the friend request tab and select `view all’ in the drop down menu and finally click on `view sent requests’.

2. Connect with strangers around the world 

You may have come across excess of Facebook Live videos coming into your New Feed during the past months though there is another lesser-known live streaming feature on the site. On clicking the icon on Live Video below the App section on the left-hand navigation bar the user has the capability of accessing people’s feed that tend to record clips all over the world.
3. Access your `other’ box

When Facebook considers that something could be possibly a spam, it tends to diverts it to your Message Request inbox where it could remain endlessly. You could view these messages by opening up Facebook Messenger on your phone and click the `Me’ section towards the bottom right of the screen and go to the `People’ section. Select `Message Requests’ and hit the link `See filtered messages’.

4. Play the secret football game 

Facebook had launched an addictive football game, at the beginning of June in order to celebrate the summer of Soccer as Euro 2016 had started. To play the football game, you could update your Messenger version and send a football emoji to any of your friends. On tapping the emoji once it is sent, you could start playing
football.

5. View all photos your friends have liked on Facebook 

A Simple way of viewing every photo you have liked on Facebook and the photos your friends, family and many other have liked is by heading to the tool bar towards the top the Facebook profile and explore `Photos liked by me’. If you wish to view all the photos your friends have liked then you could type in `Photos liked by, followed by the name of the person. You could also filter the images according to the year, place and who they had been posted by. Besides these you could also look out for posts which could have been hashtagged in Facebook by just adding the tagged word towards the end of the web address for instance https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/. You would get various results on typing post with hashtag `clarkson’ in the search box of Facebook. It could be worth attempting it.

6. Play Chess 

You could also play chess by utilising Facebook Messenger. On opening a conversation with an individual you intend to play with, just type `@fbchess play’. Then a board tends to appear and your opponent is invited to make the first move. You could select a piece by using K for king, Q for queen, B for bishop, N for knight, R for rook and P for pawn.

7. Remotely log out of Facebook

If the user tends to remain logged on to Facebook on a public computer, through oversight, you could log out from another location by going to Setting-Security to where you’re Logged In and hit `end activity ‘in order to log out.

Conclusion 

Facebook had been created in order to help viewers to get connected with their colleagues, friends, family and relatives and many others. The fact is that it is even better when one tends to get connected with them on their own terms.

Facebook is bringing 360-degree photos to the News Feed

Facebook’s 360 Degree Photos to News Feed

Facebook has informed that in the coming weeks, it will let you upload and view 360 degree photos on mobile and the web. Facebook has progressively made VR an essential part of its platform and hence this announcement is not much of a surprise of 360 degree photos coming to your News feed. The feature would function identical to a 360 degree video wherein one will be able to click and drag to discover the environment on desktop or move your smartphone around as if its screen were a viewfinder.

The feature is said to be a part of a great mission to frame Facebook as a means of exploring faraway places. Moreover it is also tied directly to Facebook-owned Oculus VR’s push for more live-action photography and video you can experience with the Gear VR and Rift headsets.

With both the device you will also be capable of viewing 360 degree photos that are shared on the social network. Since September of last year, 360 degree video had been available on Facebook and it will still be quite a while before users as well as creators hold the new format in large numbers. Facebook is presently making its platform friendlier to photos that can be shot with smartphone rather than an expensive video rig.

VR – An Integral Part of Platform

We may see a firm uptick in professional grade as well as consumer shot 360 degree content.Update would enable you to upload scenes that have been captured with native smartphone cameras, 360 degree photospheres made with third party apps or photos shot utilising a dedicated 360 degree rig. Facebook has increasingly made VR an integral part of its platform, so today’s announcement isn’t a huge surprise: 360 degree photos are coming to your news feed.

Facebook needs to urge users to create many photos and videos as possible so that it made a camera of its own. At the time of its annual F8 developers’ conference, it had announced a reference design for a new 17 camera array known as Facebook Surround 360. The company expects that the third party manufacturer would develop their own 360 degree cameras utilising the blueprints since at the end of the day, the more photos and videos which make their way to Facebook, the more time users would spend engrossed in social network.

Landscapes Captured on Phone – Better Viewing Experience

Three years ago, Google had first attempted to promote360 degree images with the introduction of Photospheres, but they never caught on much since they were difficult to share. Anticipate that to begin changing now that Facebook tends to support the format. There is no information regarding the release date, though Facebook states that 360 degree photos would be available on mobile and the Web in the coming weeks.

 The landscapes captured on the phone would ultimately provide a better viewing experience both on News Feed and the Oculus powered Samsung Gear VR. For the first time, Facebook would also be releasing Gear VR usage stats, stating that Gear VR tends to have 1 million monthly users and those who seem to use it spend around 25 minutes each day on the device which would encourage developers in building the platform.

Facebook Pays $10,000 to 10-year-old Instagram Hacker

Youngest Recipient of Facebook’s `Bug Bounty’

A 10-year old Finnish boy has been rewarded a sum of $10,000 by social media giant Facebook for locating a malfunction in its picture sharing app Instagram. The last name of Jani has not been revealed for privacy reason who is the youngest ever recipient of Facebook’s `bug bounty’ paid to users who tend to find bugs or flaws in its platforms. Jani had informed Finland’s Iltalehti newspaper that he wanted to see if Instagram’s comment field could stand malicious code and it turned out that it could not.

Facebook stated that the malfunction had been fixed in February and the reward had been paid in March. Jani who is yet too young to have a Facebook or Instagram account of his own, informed that he learned coding from Youtube videos and identified a way to delete user comments from Instagram accounts. He informed Iltalehti that he could have deleted anybody’s comment from there. He stated that he was thinking about a career in data security though for the moment his plans comprise of buying a new bike and a football with the reward money.

Not Unusual for Teenagers to Submit Reports to Program

Since 2011, Facebook has been running its `bug bounty program, which had been rewarding hackers when they report problems of tech and security. Since its launch, Facebook’s bug bounty had awarded over $4.3 million to more than 800 researchers across the world where the program tends to determine the pay-out based on the risk of the bug instead of how complex it could be. In 2015 alone, 210 researchers had received $936,000 with an average pay-out of $1,780.

A Facebook spokesperson informed CNNMoney that it is not unusual for teenagers to submit reports to the program. Several tech companies tend to offer similar programs to hackers who seem to report cyber-security susceptibilities. Uber had recently started offering $10,000 rewards for every critical problem which were identified by the hackers. AT&T payments range from $100 to $5,000, while Google tends to pay between $100 to $20,000.The Finnish boy has become the youngest recipient of cash from Facebook for hacking its products.

Created Test Instagram Account

The earlier record had been set by a 13 year old way back in 2013 which means that his latest young hacker is the first person to crash a Facebook product which are not technically even able to utilise considering that it is supposed to be limited to below 13s. The company had informed Forbes that while poking around where he should not have been, Jani found that he could change code on Instagram’s server and force deletes the posts of users.

This had been confirmed by Facebook utilising a test account and had patched it in February. It is not clear how Jani had identified the vulnerability. Iltalehti had reported that Jani together with his brother had a habit of watching videos regarding computer security on YouTube. The bug was a problem with Instagram’s application program interface of API, on how the app tends to communicate with the server.


If one has to erase a remark from Instagram, the API seems to check that you have the authority to delete the comment. After Jani had informed Facebook regarding the problem, the company had created a test Instagram account and had posted a comment. Facebook had then asked him to go ahead and delete the comment.

Facebook Developing Camera App Similar to Snapchat

Facebook to come up with Stand-Alone Camera App

According to online source report, quoting people familiar with the matter, Facebook is coming up with a stand-alone camera app which will be like the disappearing photo app Snapchat, to upsurge user engagement and will encourage its 1.6 billion users to create and share photos and videos.The app which is being developed by the friend-sharing team of Facebook in London is said to be in its initial stage and may not come to completion, as per the report.

 Moreover, the newspaper has reported that the company is also said to be scheduling a feature which would enable user to record video through the app to start live streaming. The same had caused apprehension within Facebook, over increasingly passive behaviour on the social network of the user. Several of the users tend to check Facebook often or multiple times a day though few tend to share photos, video and update of status regarding their own lives.

Withdrawing the trend seems to be a growing priority within the company. Facebook spokeswoman had refrained from commenting on the product plans. She had mentioned that the overall level of sharing on Facebook had been strong and alike to levels in prior years. People familiar with the matter had stated that the camera-first format is focused in motivating users to create photos and videos.

Open to Personalized Feed/Articles

The flagship mobile app, in comparison, tends to open to a personalized feed or articles, status, updates and ads, which encourages users to use content, though not necessarily create it. The approach also tends to differ from Instagram image-sharing network of Facebook that had gained reputation as a place to post the best, most well-photographed pictures.

 Instagram tends to compel users to go through numerous steps before posting an image, inclusive of filters and it is not the first time that Facebook has built an app encouraging sharing. It had launched Slingshot, in June 2014, a Snapchat like app which enabled users to trade photos and videos, which disappeared after 24 hours.

It had earlier launched a photo-editing as well as sharing app known as Camera and none gained much traction among users which was later on dropped. The latest app would have a bit different features like the live-streaming mode. In the past year, the decline in sharing on Facebook has developed as a problem.

New Feature - `On This Day’

Technology news website – The Information had reported earlier this month that the original broadcast sharing on Facebook had dropped by 21% as of mid-2015 when compared with the earlier year.During the first quarter of 2016, 33% of Facebook users surveyed by market researcher GlobalWebIndex had informed that they had updated their profile status in the past month and 37% stated that they had uploaded or shared their own photos.

A year back, 44% had informed that they had updated their profile status in the past month and 46% stated that they had uploaded or shared their photos. The camera app just seems to be one way that Facebook intends tackling the issue.

 Facebook has also tried to re-engage users with a new feature known as `On This Day’ that permits users relive and share past posts. According to GlobalWebIndes, this together with similar features could have prompted more users to `like’ Facebook post. It also said that that in the first quarter of 2016, 82% of Facebook users had clicked `like’ at least once in the previous month up from 73% at the same period, a year earlier.

How Do I Change My Email Notifications?

How Do I Change My Email Notifications?

 

How Do I Change My Email Notifications?

The following is part of our series, Facebook Tips, which answers some of the most commonly asked questions about using Facebook. While we hope the tips we share on the blog will be informative, remember that we are unable to answer individual questions here. We'll always direct you to the Help Center for additional information about the topics we cover.


You don't have to be logged in to Facebook to get the latest updates from friends. Email notifications allow you to know when people interact with you on the site, whether through Wall posts, comments, tagged photos or friend requests. Similar to the notifications you see in the lower right hand corner on Facebook, email notifications let you know what's happening even when you aren't logged in.

You can manage email notifications by selecting the "Settings" link in the upper right hand corner of any page. From the Notifications tab, you can choose which actions you want to generate emails. For example, if you want to be notified by email each time someone writes on your Wall or receive weekly email digests about your friends' upcoming birthdays, just check the boxes next to these options. If you'd rather not be notified when people poke you or comment on your photos, just leave those boxes unchecked.

To change the email address associated with your account, select the "Settings" tab. You'll then see your current email address and can select "change" to add or delete addresses. Your Facebook email notifications will only be sent to the address you designate as your "Contact Email," so also be sure this information is accurate.


source  facebook.com/notes/171619937130

Protect your Facebook account from hackers

What to do if your Facebook Account has been hacked

Go to https://www.facebook.com/hacked and follow the instructions on-screen. You’ll go through three steps:

1. Verify your account and change password.  You’ll be asked to identify your account, change your password, and change the password associated with the e-mail account that you use for Facebook.
2. Review and fix anything the cybercriminal changed.
3. Unlock account.

How to prevent your Facebook Account from being hacked

Security settings are the key.  So stop what you’re doing and print out this article.  Then log into Facebook and update these settings.
From Account settings, click on Security.  I recommend the following settings for the highest level of security.
1. Secure Browsing – enabled.
2. Login Notifications – enabled.
3. Login Approvals – enabled. 

This feature requires that you have a cell phone capable of receiving text messages.  When enabled, you will receive a code via text message if your account is accessed from an unrecognized location.

This is important for teens.  They may use computers at a friend’s house, the library, or other public locations.  As an example, if you are logging in to Facebook from a computer in the library, you’ll be asked to enter in a code.  You’ll receive the text message, know that it’s YOU using Facebook, and enter the code.  If you receive the text message and you WERE NOT trying to log into Facebook, you’ll know there is a problem.  And the hacker trying to get into your account will not have the code.




4. App Passwords – If you don’t have many apps associated with your Facebook account, you can probably leave this off.  If you do enable login approvals as described above, and you do use apps such as Skype through Facebook, then you may want to set app passwords.  You can read about this feature on Facebook Help and Inside Facebook.
5. Recognized Devices – if there is anything listed here that doesn’t look familiar, or the date is not recent, remove it.
6.  Active Sessions – remove all except Current session.

Your Security Settings page should now look something like this:

Facebook Security settings in the locked-down position

As a last step, go to General Account settings and change your Facebook password.  And finally, log out of Facebook when not in use.
Now with your Facebook account safe and secure, you can get back to important Facebook activities, such as post-election re-friending, without too much of a fear of hackers accessing your account

Facebook Messenger now available for Windows Phone 8 devices like Nokia Lumia

Two years after it was launched for Android and iOS devices, Facebook Messenger has finally come to the Windows Phone 8. Microsoft had promised that Facebook Messenger would soon be available at the recent Press briefing and today the Redmond tech giant confirmed the Facebook messaging App is now finally available to users of Windows Phone.

Like the Facebook Messenger for iOS and Android, the Windows Phone 8 also offers the following features :

- Get to all your messages without having to open Facebook.

- Bring your conversations to life with stickers and send photos privately.

- Have group conversations and make plans on the go.

- Share your location so people know when you're nearby.

- Know when people have seen your messages.

- See who's using Messenger and who's active on Facebook. 

- Stay logged in so you never miss a message.

- Turn off notifications when you're working, sleeping or just need a break.

- Never lose your conversation history or contacts.

So if you own a Windows Phone 8 powered Nokia Lumia devices like Lumia 520, Lumia 525, Lumia 620 etc, you can download Facebook Messenger from the Windows Phone Store  here.  Remember if you search for Facebook Messenger on the store, the results will be quite amusing as it still brings up rival IM apps and Facebook’s main app, instead of official version.

How to Change Your Name on Facebook

Open your account settings. Log in to Facebook and click the Gear icon in the top-right corner of the page. Select “Account Settings”.

• To access this on the mobile app, click the menu button in the top-left corner and scroll down to Account Settings. Select General, and then tap Name.

Click on your name to open the name editor. You can enter a First, Middle, and Last name, as well as an Alternate name (such as a nickname or maiden name).

• Your name can only be changed four times.
• Facebook wants you to list your name as it appears on your credit card or ID.
• You cannot use symbols, numbers, random capitalization, or punctuation.
• Your middle name cannot be words or phrases.
• Nicknames should be variations on your real name (rique or jhone..)

Enter your real name. Facebook does not allow you to impersonate someone else, or create a page for a fictional character. Accounts found in violation of this will be forced to change the name.

• If you want to create an account for an organization, business, or a pet, you will need to create a Facebook Page

Enter your password. To change your name, you will need to enter your password into the box before you are allowed to save your changes.

Click Save Changes. Your new name will be saved, and the change will reflect on your Profile shortly. It can take up to 24 hours for a name change to be approved.

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How do I change my name on facebook?

How do I change my name on facebook?

 

 

You can change your name or add an alternate name (ex: nickname or maiden name) to your account. To edit your name:

1. Review our name standards
2. Click in the upper-right corner of any Facebook page and select Settings
3. Look for the Name setting and click Edit to the far right
4. Type in your name and save your changes

Keep in mind:

• To help make sure that everyone uses their real name, we limit the number of times you can change your name.
• If you weren't able to change your name, we may be able to help.

You're reading the Desktop Help answer. Learn more in our other Help Centers.

 

Soure:  http://www.facebook.com/help/www/173909489329079

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How to recover your facebook account after deactivating

 

Facebook Recovering deleted messages

FACEBOOK sued for intercepting and reading private messages for its own gains in United States

As the NSA snooping story is being leaked out more and more people are becoming privacy concious and more and more skeletons are tumbling out.  Till the time Edward Snowden leaked about the NSA programs of wire taps, email and chat surveillance and other communications tapping, the world netizens were unaware that their private mails or chats were being read by somebody other then the intended party.  Continuing this doom and gloom snooping world is the latest news from California USA where Matthew Campbell and Michael Hurley have filed a class action suit against Facebook with the Northern District Court.  

The suit alleges that Facebook unlawfully intercepted private messages without consent, in order to use the data for its own profit.  Further the plaintiffs have accused the website of violating both state and federal privacy laws in the US. 

Matthew Campbell and Michael Hurley have  accused the social networking website of violating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act by scanning private messages that had URLs in them for “purposes including but not limited to data mining and user profiling.”  In plain English it means that the suit is filed against Facebook for scanning their private messages in order to increase the number of likes on pages of websites being mentioned in them. The suit has also cited a report from Swiss security firm High-Tech Bridge, suggesting Facebook likes on web pages go up when users send the page as a private link. The study was released in August last year and it tried to show that Facebook scanned through the URLs in private messages, without informing the users. The plaintiffs claim that these messages are being viewed by other humans than the sender and receiver.

The class action suit has been filed on behalf of all US users who have sent or received private messages that contained a URL in them. Besides the fact that the plaintiffs are seeking an injunction from the courts against Facebook to stop this practice, they’re also seeking damages to the tune of $100 per user for each day Facebook violated the Electronics Communications Privacy Act.

Facebook has meanwhile defended itself from the allegations, “We believe the allegations are without merit and we will defend ourselves vigorously,” a spokesperson for the website has said.