How Hashtags Work on Facebook With Privacy Settings

I used a slightly sarcastic hashtag in a private group in Facebook. A friend who was also in the group saw it and asked how privacy settings work.

For obvious reasons, I can't tell you what I actually wrote, but for illustrative purposes, assume I was talking behind John's back and wrote #JohnSucks in the group post.

On Facebook, you can search in the Facebook search bar for any hashtag and see all the relevant posts about that subject. (Try it. Type #DonaldTrump in the Facebook search bar and enjoy the options that pop up!)

Now, if my friend John searches #JohnSucks, he might stumble on my post, right?

Well, actually, no. (And good thing, because John would be really mad at me.) John would only see it if he was ALSO a member of the private group.

(Is this a good time to remind all my friends named John that I adore them?!?)

The Hashtag Rules on Facebook

1. If you post IN A GROUP, group privacy rules determine who can search for and see your post.

Public group = Anyone (can see it)

Closed group = Group Members Only (can see it)

Private group = Group Members Only (can see it)

2. If you post ON YOUR WALL, your privacy rules apply.

Public posts = Anyone (can see it)

Friends of Friends post = Friends of Friends AND Friends (can see it)

Friends post = Friends Only (can see it)

3. If you post ON SOMEONE ELSE'S WALL or TAG SOMEONE IN THE POST ITSELF, your friends and their friends can see it.

Hashtags are useful for adding to the Facebook conversation. For example, if you and your knitting group friends decide to use #KnittingRocks on your knitting posts, you can easily search for all knitting-related posts.

Be careful. #Jaysexwife looks inappropriate, while #JaysExWife looks a little less awful.

#GiftieEtcetera #PlannerPorn #ShareOnFacebook

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