Facebook Tricks

When it comes right down to it, Facebook is actually a fairly basic website. Yes, it makes some things harder than they need to be, and it does like to change the look around.

Still, the basics of sharing updates, photos and videos with friends stays the same. And if that's all you ever use it for, that's perfectly OK. That simplicity is one of the reasons it's so popular.

That's also why Facebook has a habit of adding new features without really making a big deal about it. Sure, you can find announcements on Facebook's press pages, but who goes there - besides me, of course?

It is a bit of a shame because sometimes Facebook really does have good ideas. And I'm about to share 10 of them with you so you don't have to miss out.

1. SAVE INTERESTING FACEBOOK ITEMS

Do you every find yourself endlessly scrolling through a friend's Facebook news feed for a link to that interesting story you didn't have time to read before? Well, now you can save links, places and entertainment pages for later.

Note: This is a brand new feature, so it might not be available in your account yet. If not, try it again in a few days. Also, it's only for shared links - it won't work for photo, video and status update posts.

Just hit the download arrow at the upper right of a post and select the Save option. Or on a place or entertainment page, hit the Save option next to Like.

You can look at your saved content later in the "Saved" area. It's in the left column along with News Feed, Messages and Events. Once you click it you'll get the Saved screen.

Your friends won't be notified if you've saved something; it's just for you to know about later.

2. HIDE YOUR ONLINE STATUS

If you're getting unwanted messages through Facebook's Messenger chat system, there's an easy fix. Load your Facebook page, then take a look at the Messenger list on the right side. If you don't see it, click where it says Chat in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Click the gear at the bottom of the list, then click the "Advanced Settings" link. From there, you can turn off chat for everyone or choose which friends can and can't see when you're online. It's a low-effort way to politely keep people from bothering you.

3. BLOCK STATUS UPDATES FROM OVER-SHARERS

Have you ever had a friend who just posts too many cat pictures? Hard to imagine, I know, but it's tough to tell someone that their cats aren't quite as cute as they imagine.

Don't unfriend them just yet, though. All you have to do to stop receiving updates from a social media over-sharer is click the down arrow on the upper-right hand side of one of their status updates.

Then click the "Unfollow" button to stop receiving updates from that person. You can turn their updates back on by going to their profile and refollowing them. Simple!

4. SYNC FACEBOOK'S CALENDAR WITH GOOGLE CALENDAR

If you've signed up for an event on Facebook, or just want to keep track of everyone's birthdays, syncing your Facebook calendar to your Google Calendaris easier than you'd think.

First, log in to Facebook and click on the "Events" link in the left column. At the bottom of the right column, you'll see links for Upcoming Events and Birthdays. Right-click on the link you want and choose Copy Link Location.

Then open your Google Calendar. In the left column, find Other Calendars. Click the down arrow in the Other Calendars page, and then click "add by URL." Paste the link that you copied from Facebook, and click Add Calendar.

After a few seconds a new calendar option will appear. It will update automatically, however Google says that it might take a few hours sometimes.

5. STOP FACEBOOK FROM TRACKING YOU

Facebook makes its money by figuring out what you're doing on and off of the website. The company tracks almost everything that its users do in an effort to understand them.

If you'd rather not be turned into a statistic for Facebook to sell on the open market, a browser extension can stop all of Facebook's tracking attempts.

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Facebook Disconnect is a browser extension that's available for both Firefox andChrome. Install it in your browser and it blocks Facebook from getting information about what websites you're visiting.

6. MAKE FACEBOOK TALK LIKE A PIRATE

Have you ever wanted Facebook to automatically translate all of your friend's posts into pirate slang? No? Well, you can do it anyway.

Click the upside down triangle in the upper right-hand corner of the Facebook page, then click the "Settings" link. Where it says "Language" click the Edit button, then navigate to the "English (Pirate)" option. Now, enjoy the results!

You can switch it back to regular English by doing the same thing except picking the "English (U.S.)" option instead. There are a couple of other funny languages you can set, but I'll let you explore those on your own.

7. TURN OFF FACEBOOK'S NOTIFICATION SOUNDS

Tired of having Facebook notify you every time someone likes a post that you've made? You can turn off Facebook's notification sounds.

Click the upside down triangle in the upper right-hand corner of the Facebook page, then click the "Settings" link. In the left column select Notifications.

Where it says "On Facebook," click the "View" link and uncheck "Play a sound." Then click the "Save Changes" button.

8. COMBINE YOUR PROFILE PICTURE AND COVER PHOTO

Have you ever seen a Facebook page where the cover photo and profile picture look like a seamless photo? It takes some graphics skill to pull it off.

Or you can use Tricked Out Timeline. This Web tool lets you upload an image and turn it into a cover photo and profile picture combo that looks really slick.

9. HOW TO ACCESS FACEBOOK CHAT FROM YOUR DESKTOP

Facebook's built-in Messenger is a fun way to chat with friends, but tying up your browser with it is a little annoying. Fortunately, you have the option of using a regular chat program instead.

First, you'll need an IM client that supports Jabber/XMPP messaging. iChat,Pidgin, and Adium will all work.

Fire up your chat program of choice. Find the "Accounts" option, then click "Manage" and create a new account.

If you're using Pidgin or iChat, you'll have to select either Jabber or XMPP as the account type. Adium users can just pick "Facebook."

Type your Facebook profile ID and password. To get the profile ID, open your Facebook page and click the Home button at the top. Then look at the Web address. The profile ID is whatever comes after "www.facebook.com/".

For example, mine would be "kim.komando". If you never set your name, it might say, "profile.php?id=123456". You want to use the number that comes after "id=".

If you're using Pidgin, there's a few extra steps to take. Where it says "domain" type in "chat.facebook.com" and for "local alias" type in your name as it appears in your Facebook profile. Now click the Advanced tab and for "port" enter 5222 and for "connect server" type in "chat.facebook.com". You should be set.

10. FIND HIDDEN UNREAD MESSAGES

Not many people know this but you might be getting messages from people and don't know it. If someone sends you a message and you have no mutual friends, Facebook automatically filters their message into the "Other" message folder.

To find the "Other" folder, click the word bubble icon at the top of the page. Then next to where it says "Inbox" click "Other." Click here to see this in action.

You might see a surprising amount of messages piled up in here, because Facebook never notifies you about any messages received from people who aren't in your network.

In fact, when I originally told my listeners this tip, one girl tried it found a message her birth mother had sent her a few years before. Who knows what you'll find!