Facebook Places - Privacy settings that are not private

This week, Facebook added a feature called "Places" where users may post their current location, using a mobile device.

Facebook hasn't exactly excited its users when it comes to Privacy Settings and I think they missed on this one too.  "Places" is enabled by default.  And, not only is it enabled, but the Privacy Settings allows "Friends" to post another Friend's location.  To me, these are privacy settings that are not private.

If you don't like people knowing every move you make, I would recommend changing the settings.

To do so, follow these steps:

Click on "Accounts" on the upper right corner of Facebook and select "Privacy Settings."

In the Privacy Settings window, click on "Customize" on the lower part of the screen.

In the "Things I Share" section, scroll to "Places I check in to" and change the option to "Me Only."

Then, uncheck the "Include me in 'People Here Now' after I check in" dialog box.  (See screen shot below)

In my opinion, Facebook should have changed the default setting.  But, I don't work for Facebook, I'm only here to provide tips to computer users.  So, I hope this helps with everyone's privacy.

***UPDATE 8/27/2010***
There is another option in the section below "Things others share."  The safest option is to select "Disable" from the "Friends can check me into Places" drop down.

Watch movies on your iPod

Do you watch movies on your iPod?  And do you want to watch music videos?  If you love gadgets and have an iPod with movie capabilities, you'll want to add as many movies and music videos to your library as you can.  The iPod has a great video screen, maybe smaller than some of the new smartphones, like the iPhone, but it's still a nice portable device for music and movies.

But, did you know that you don't need to purchase movies through iTunes?  iTunes can be a great resource for music and movies, but what if you find a movie on YouTube that you want to place on your iPod?

It's actually very simple.

There are many ways to convert movies for the iPod, but I'm going to give an example using one of the most used players.  A name you're probably familiar with, Real Player.

If you do not already have Real Player installed on your computer, download and install Real Player.

Now, you can do this many ways, but we'll provide the example of downloading a movie from sites such as YouTube.

First and foremost, make sure the movie does not have any copyrights.  Movies and Videos on sites like YouTube that are copyrighted will not allow for downloading.  However, I am not a lawyer and you always need to be responsible when using any sort of "sharing" website.

That said, visit YouTube and find the movie or music video you want to download.

When Real Player is set as your default player, a small pop-up menu appears in the upper right corner of the video.  Click on the "Download this video" link.

Real Player's downloader window opens and begins downloading.

HINT: If you wish to download and convert more than one movie or video, download all files first before continuing to the next step of conversion.

Once the movie or video has been completely downloaded, click on the drop down arrow "Copy to iPod."  The default on the drop down is probably "Copy to iPad," but if you click on the drop down arrow, a list is provided.  Select "more devices" if you do not see the "Copy to iPod" and search in the more devices list for the iPod option.

Another window opens beginning the conversion process.  Depending on the length of the movie or video, this may take some time.

Once completed, iTunes opens with the file added to your library.

It's really that simple.

Enjoy your music, your movies, and your videos all on your iPod - I do!

Go Ask Debbie - August 2010 Newsletter

I have just posted the August Newsletter for Go Ask Debbie.

Click here to read.