Do you like to wish your Facebook friends “happy birthday”? I do. It is a way of honoring them on their special day.

One thing I notice when I go to “events” and see whose birthdays are coming up in the next few days is that some people’s age is listed. Others do not list their age.

As a protection for you, I recommend that you do not allow your age to show on Facebook. Some people put a fake birthday as well. However, I think it is OK to list the birthday, as in mine is listed as December 22, my real birthday.

You may wonder, where is it that I go to change that information that I entered way back when I created my Facebook account?

Just go to your profile and click on the button “Update Info.” You will find that button right under your cover photo. Then go to the “Basic Information” section and click on “Edit.”

You will notice that you have three options:

  • Show my full birthday on my timeline
  • Show only month and day on my timeline
  • Do not show my birthday on my time line

Just select the one you want and click on “Save.” There, wasn’t that easy?

It is a probably a good idea to revisit your identifying information periodically. Maybe you are now using a different email, or perhaps you have changed your phone number.

For my personal profile on Facebook, I provide an email address, but not a phone number.

However, for my Facebook business page for my Boomers’ Social Media Tutor business, I list a business phone number as well as an email address and a website address.

Everyone’s situation is different, so I am not saying this is right for you. Some people will list a physical address for their home or for their business. I operate my business out of my home and prefer not to list that address on either my personal profile or my business page. However, for my business page, I do list a city and a state.

What has been your approach to including identifying information in your personal profile on Facebook? How about on your business page?

Joyce Feustel, Founder of Boomers’ Social Media Tutor, helps people relatively new to social media to become more effective and comfortable in their use of this medium. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com