Accessing Facebook

[silverback]

I do not use Facebook so do not have an account.
A forum I frequent has posted a link to something on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/***page" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; name***

When I click on the link, I am only offered the options of Login or Sign Up. As I have no intention of signing up, does this mean that the content is forever hidden from me?

Thanks
Silverback

[HansV]

Facebook users can make their posts available to (specific) Facebook members only, or to everybody. Apparently the page you have been referred to has not been made public, so you can't read it.

[Bigaldoc]

And even "public" posts are NOT viewable by someone who is not a Facebook member. Public only means that the post can be viewed by all Facebook members, including those who are not on your "friend" list.

Facebook used to allow a URL to be created on photos that could be viewed by anyone but (to my knowledge) they even eliminated that one.

[HansV]

I can still view some photos posted on Facebook by an acquaintance although I'm not a member (the link can even be found on Google). Perhaps "old" links still work but new ones can't be created any more?

[Bigaldoc]

Hmmm, I don't know about that one, Hans. I do know that I can't find anywhere in the photo subsystem to make a link open any more. I think I'll go searching through my email files with my brother since I think I've sent him one or two. It must be as you say though.

[HansV]

Oh, and I can also see some events from 2012 on her Facebook page...

[Bigaldoc]

Interesting. OK, here's a little test of my theory. I made this post yesterday and I just changed its "privacy" to public. See if you can read this post:

https://www.facebook.com/AlbertEHoffman ... 6363401250" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On the sharing of individual photos, the ones I shared with my brother are not good to look at. The two are after my cancer surgery on my nose since he had the same procedure and asked about mine.

However, in looking through all of that, I did see where I can make a whole photo album open and created this link. Check this one to see if you can see these pictures:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 5932e48b70" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mebbe we'll get to the bottom of this...

[HansV]

I can see the photo album but not the post - I get a message that I need to login to see it.

[Bigaldoc]

Well, what you got confirms what I believed to be the case. BUT, while waiting, I went to Facebook's Help to see if they've changed the definition of "public" and strangely, this is what it now says:

• • What does "Public" mean?
    
    If you're comfortable making something you share open to anyone on the internet, you can choose Public from the audience selector before you post. Public includes people who are not your friends on Facebook, people who are not in your school or work networks and anyone on the internet.

(The underlining is mine)

[HansV]

I guess that's what my acquantaince must have done.

[Bigaldoc]

As an aside, Hans, the post you can't see is about Amazon.Com (USA) and something I meant to post in Scut. I'm off to do that now.

[stuck]

...As I have no intention of signing up, does this mean that the content is forever hidden from me?

From the rest of this thread it would appear so. However FB need not be as scary as it first appears.

I created an FB account in the (vain) hope I could use it to keep up with my son (stuckling1) once he set off for university. By going through every setting I could find, which are myriad but not impossible to locate, I've nailed my FB account down ( ask Al, he'll tell you ) so that it's almost impossible to reach me in FB. I also got rid of some of FBs 'in your face' aspects, e.g. friend suggestions, by using the element hiding helper for Adblock Plus. Oh yes, Adblock Plus is an essential prerequisite too.

A bit anti-social for a social networking site perhaps but at least I can peek into the world of FB and see some things that are going on.

Ken