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Sharing your news, photos and thoughts on Facebook can be a fun and efficient way of updating others on your life. But there may be times where you don’t want the world, or even all of your Facebook friends, to see everything you post. Here’s how to lead two lives on Facebook.
Why You May Want to Live a Double Life on Facebook
Personal vs. Professional
Your co-workers may be a social bunch but you may not want to share your every Facebook post with them. For example, if you post about frustrations of parenthood, you may not want people at work wondering whether you’ll be able to perform at your optimum level. You don’t want to offend co-workers by refusing friend requests but you may not want to open up your Facebook feed to them either.
Some employers are requiring employees and/or job applicants to reveal their Facebook passwords to monitor their Facebook activities. Having a separate professional Facebook account can help you satisfy an inquisitive employer while allowing you to continue to post about your non-professional activities on your personal Facebook account.
See, Poll: Would You Reveal Your Facebook Password to Get a Job?
[tip]Remember, anything you post on the Internet can be found so never assume that what you post on Facebook is private, no matter what your privacy settings are. [/tip]
Gamer
If you’re a big fan of Facebook games such as Farmville 2, Candy Crush, and Texas HoldEm Poker, you know the name of the game is “the more friends the merrier.” Many games give rewards and allow you to advance levels when you add friends. But your best friends, co-workers and neighbors may not relish seeing your game updates nor receiving invitations to join in on the fun.
You may want to add fellow gamers with whom you wish to share nothing more than your passion for leveling up on your favorite game. As you don’t want your friends pestered by your game posts, you also don’t want strangers seeing your personal updates. Having a separate Facebook account for gaming can solve both of those problems.
Bi-Lingual
If you’re fluent in two languages, you may wish to have a Facebook account in each language. No need to have your friends scurrying to Google Translate to figure out why you’re posting a picture of your prized pooch.
Public vs. Private
If you’re trying to build a public reputation, you may want to have a separate Facebook account open to the public for the masses to discover your posts. Having a public Facebook account helps people find you more easily, especially with Facebook’s new search capabilities.
But you also may want to have a more personal experience on Facebook with your close friends you trust with more private posts. If you want to post photos from your family’s latest trip to Disney or your kids’ first day of school, a private account would be a better choice.
Ways to Live a Double Life on Facebook
Two Facebook Accounts
By using a second Facebook account you can keep your posts and Facebook friends separate, creating two different Facebook worlds for yourself. You can create a second Facebook account using a different email address from the email address you use for your original Facebook account. You can use an existing secondary email address or create a new email address specifically for your new Facebook account.
If you have a Facebook page, such as The Wonder of Tech Facebook Page, you can administer your page from both of your Facebook accounts, making it easier to monitor and maintain the page. If you get locked out of one Facebook account (in the event of hacking, forgotten password, etc.), you can still access your Facebook page from your other account.
Pros
Easier to be sure that you’re not posting to the wrong set of friends
Handy to use a second account to keep personal and professional lives separate
Can have different privacy and notification settings for each account
Useful to have a backup account for a Facebook page if you get locked out of your Facebook account
Cons
Having two Facebook accounts requires more time and effort spent on Facebook
Must keep up with two separate accounts
Can be confusing to friends
Tips for Managing Two Facebook Accounts
If you invite your existing Facebook friends to a second Facebook account, explain in a message why you’re creating the second account. People will be wary that your new account is a hack or a scam so some friends will need reassurance that the second account is really from you.
Use separate profile pictures on each account. Using the same profile picture on both accounts will confuse your friends, and make them unsure which account they are posting to and reading.
Try to avoid logging in and out between your two Facebook accounts, that’s an easy way to post to the wrong account.
- On your mobile device, use your Facebook app for one account and your Internet browser for your second account.
- On your computer, stay logged in to both accounts in two different browsers. That way when you Like a page, you can be sure which Facebook account will register the Like. For example, you can stay logged in to one account on Chrome and the other account on Firefox.
Friend Lists
Another way to live a double life on Facebook is to post to friend lists. You can segregate your Facebook friends into lists such as family, friends, neighbors, gaming friends, co-workers, etc. Every time you post you can choose from a drop-down menu which list of Facebook friends can see your post.
Pros
Doesn’t involve creating a new Facebook account
Can manage Facebook without logging in and logging out
Saves you time by only needing to manage one Facebook account
No confusion about which Facebook account you’re using
Cons
Easy to post to the wrong people by accident
Easy to forget to post only to a list
Time consuming to create lists
May have difficulty remembering which friends are on which lists
Your Thoughts
Do you like the idea of having two Facebook lives? Do you like the idea of having two Facebook accounts or using friend lists? Have you ever posted to the wrong audience? Have you ever wished your friends had a separate Facebook account for gaming or for a different purpose? Let us know in the Comments section below!
My Facebook posts show up on my Twitter feed. If I post to any group will it show up there?
Hi Stephanie, Great question! By visiting https://www.facebook.com/twitter/ you can control which Facebook posts are posted on Twitter. You can control your settings from that Facebook web page so be sure to check it to make sure what you want to post to both places is being posted.
Actually, I’m thinking of dropping off FB altogether. I just don’t enjoy spending that much time going through all the posts, so adding yet another account doesn’t sound all that appealing. Maybe I’ll try to lists approach, but I’m seriously thinking of deleting my art fan page entirely, and I rarely log in anymore to the personal account. Just too time consuming despite having set the preferences to get fewer posts. If I want to spend time on social media, Pinterest is much more appealing.
Hi Ann, Yes, Facebook isn’t for everyone and other social media sites may hold more appeal. I’m glad you found a site that works better for you, Ann. 🙂
As an author, Facebook allows an author’s page. I forget how I created it, but it has a follow button that lets strangers follow what I post there without having to ask for a friend request. On my personal page, I can link my RSS feed to my newspaper columns, and the articles get posted there by the newspaper. then, I click on “share” and from the drop down menu, choose “a page you manage”, and the same post is shared on the public page. This option only requires one email address, which is all I have. I use two profile pictures as you recommended, because it helps me keep track of which page is which.
Hi Paula, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, Facebook pages are another way to conduct a professional life on Facebook but there usually isn’t as much social interaction on Facebook pages as there is on personal Facebook accounts. A Facebook page is an effective way for an author to share information with others without having to manage two Facebook accounts.
Hello Carolyn,
Personally, I have no interest in operating two Facebook accounts. Why? I only use Facebook on a professional level and don’t bother updating my private life there. I believe what is private is better kept private!
However, for social media enthusiasts, this is about the best thing they really need to do especially with the rising cases of account monitoring by employers.
You wouldn’t want your employer to see that hangover photo of yours, right?
Happy New Year!
Always,
Terungwa
Hi Terungwa, Great point, but no one should be posting a hangover photo on Facebook or anywhere else. Photos may be copied and shared even if you have the tightest privacy settings on Facebook.
Some people don’t want to share their personal lives on Facebook so a professional page is all they want. Others only want to share personal stuff so don’t want to bother with a professional page.
I’m glad you do what works for you, Terungwa. 🙂
It’s easy to make two Facebook accounts, in fact you can even make more. The hard part is managing or living the life of each account you make. I am a gamer type so I have about 3 accounts just for Facebook games and I can say it is quite difficult. It is an advantage though, since you won’t be pestered by game newsfeed if you use a personal account.
Hi Claude, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, it is definitely easier to create two Facebook accounts than to manage two Facebook accounts. Gamers are especially good at creating new accounts so they can make the most of their gaming opportunities. You’re right, by creating new accounts for games, you can avoid pestering your friends with your gaming feed. But between the games and the Facebook accounts you probably have difficulty keeping up with it all! 🙂
Yeah, that’s one of the biggest problem of having so many accounts. But now I’m sticking to 3. 1 for personal, the others are for games. 🙂
As a blogger, I very much understand the need to lead a double life on Facebook. I’m a Left-wing, Liberal blogger in a Right-wing, Tea Party family. So keeping my feelings on certain topics to myself makes sense if I don’t want to get into confrontations with my more conservative parents and life-long friends.
I get around this by using my blog’s Facebook Page as the platform where I am “free” to speak as I wish, address whichever topics cross my mind, rant about the state of the world, bash things that I deem bash-worthy, and curse to my heart’s content. My like-minded friends and fellow bloggers converse with me there, which is nice, but sometimes they spill over into my personal account, which obviously isn’t as cool.
My personal Facebook account is where I {TRY TO BUT STILL OFTEN FAIL TO} follow the old-fashioned dinner-table rules of conversation: No politics, sex, or religion — all of which encompass the major points of contention between most Left- and Right-leaning folks.
About every six months I blow up and get poopy on my personal account, thereby ticking off the majority of my friends and family, before getting myself back under control and heading back over to my blog’s page to say what’s on my mind. I can’t say this is the perfect “fix” but I don’t really think there is any one solution “to bind us all” because, well, we’re all so unbound! This is the closest I can come to having the room to be myself while attempting to avoid alienating and insulting the people who try to love me. The alternative would be biting my tongue on all topics ever, and that? Just ain’t gonna happen.
Hi Andi-Roo, You certainly are making effective use of Facebook by using your Facebook page and your personal account for different purposes. You give excellent examples of how Facebook can help you interact with different groups of people separately. Great point about accounts bleeding over into each other. It’s very difficult to keep accounts completely separate so it’s still important to be mindful of a more public audience.
I can understand how you want to be free to share your views but also don’t want to offend people unnecessarily. Using different Facebook accounts is helpful to achieve that goal. I wish you much continued success in keeping your worlds separate using Facebook, Andi-Roo.
Hi Carolyn,
I guess creating friend lists are more useful, easy to manage and certainly saves a lot of time and effort. By having multiple lists regarding various interests, you can easily share relevant stuff via one Facebook account.
Hi Aahna, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, although setting up friend lists can take a while, your lists may save you a lot of time later by allowing you to post to certain groups of friends without bothering others. For example, gamers may have a Candy Crush Friends list where they can post their updates about the game. What’s relevant to some friends may not be relevant to others.
Hi Carolyn
I wish it were easier to maintain my FB accounts. Luckily I don’t use them that often. I actually have three. Personal (almost dead) one for each of my blogs. Maybe there is/was a better way, but I did not find it at the time. But now I am happy with it like that because I mainly post on my magic blog page, it gets some attention. Whereas personal, is mostly dead and done via iphone and madlemmings never got off the ground, but I post via buffer.
I also had the same issue for G+ but google has that sorted with the “another account” button. Sweet!
ashley
Hi Ashley, You’re absolutely right, keeping up with social media is a challenge that increases with each new account you create. If we get overwhelmed we can just give up on an account instead of cutting back. If you don’t miss it then the account probably wasn’t that important to you anyway.
Running a blog can bring a new importance to social media, you connect with other bloggers and want to share your posts and others’ posts with people who might benefit from reading them. But you also don’t want a social media page to be all about sharing, connecting is important too. Perhaps keeping up with new social media accounts is one of the reasons so many people abandon their blogs.
I hope you find a social media solution that works well for you, Ashley/
Well, I must admit I found this funny: If a boss asked me for my Facebook password, I would just say “I won’t give it to you”. They can’t just force you to that. We not only need to worry about the NSA nosing on our lives but also our bosses? I’m not buying, gracias.
In my experience, managing one Facebook account and friend lists is more comfortable. I would use that, preferably.
Lastly, Facebook has too many privacy issues yet bloggers don’t cease to speak about it. Why don’t you give some coverage to Diaspora* too? I joined a few months ago, and it is a pretty good alternative.
I leave you with the suggestion.
Best,
Tedel
Hi Tedel, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, in some places it’s illegal to ask employees or interviewees for their Facebook passwords. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I’ve been asked plenty of illegal questions during job interviews (“Are you married?” “Do you have any children?”), often prefaced by, “I know this is an illegal question, but…” It’s up to the individual how he or she wants to respond. I even heard of a college student who got a Facebook account because he was told by his school that employers are suspicious if a college student says that he doesn’t have a Facebook account!
Hey Carolyn,
I tried to create another account (after the discussion you and Jens had a few months ago)…and that didn’t go well (I didn’t get the verification text). I tried several different times and it didn’t work out.
I am sure I could solve the issue, if I just get in touch with them (I did report it..but that didn’t do anything). But, I don’t want to anymore.
FB has changed, and so has my social media plan. I am no longer interested in investing too much time into FB (Yeah, so I deactivated my new page…not much of a loss since I didn’t invest much into it).
I am going to try and use my lists for managing bloggers (I already one setup few years ago…but I never used it). In terms of blogging, I have been doing more with my personal account (you know, talking to other bloggers).
Anyways, thank you for the tips, Carolyn 🙂 Especially liked the tip about using different browsers for managing different account (I think we could also use the chrome extension called Multi Login). I installed it a while ago, but haven’t used it yet. I have read some good reviews about it.
Hi Jeevan, Yes, Facebook doesn’t officially allow two accounts, but considering Mark Zuckerberg has more than one (if you count his dog’s account as his), then the rest of us shouldn’t have a problem.
Since I only have one cell phone number, I didn’t use text verification for my second account. I don’t know why you would have a problem setting up a second account but it sounds as if you’re managing your blogging life and your personal life well on Facebook with lists.
You’re right, Facebook has dramatically reduced the exposure that Facebook pages are being given unless advertising dollars are being spent. That’s why personal accounts can become even more important now than Facebook pages.
Just recently started this double life on Facebook. I didn’t have any problems with using a single account but I missed most of my close friends updates and more importantly my close friends felt bored and irritated sometime because of my blog or other promotional updates. As they didn’t belong to the internet industry. 🙂
Though I would recommend everyone to go for different accounts for personal and professional use.
Hi Rajeesh, Yes, when you are trying to connect with two different sets of friends, having one Facebook account can be challenging. Sometimes separating the friends into two different Facebook accounts can be the best solution.
Hi Carolyn,
Mind sharing your other account now 😀 lol… BTW your post reassuring my opinion on being my own when it comes to work 😉
Excellent post once again dear! I know some friends who have multiple accounts just to make use of in gaming. From my experience, it has been a lot easier joining related groups though. However, I find some users overlooked the use of lists and got another account created. Now this post gonna makes ’em think.
This is where I find myself not so flexible dear. Being a person who prefers sticking into one choice, I can’t think of multiple accounts unless it has a sole purpose 🙂 Actually I doubt professionalism in revealing passwords though. But, yeah, it has to be done when it’s required now.
I love the point you made about language 😉 As, currently we haven’t given hot keys to switch among preferred languages smoothly, having another account could be the best alternative. It surprises me learn that many Facebook users are now prefer to share using their own language. May be we are the only one uses English 😀 lol… Oh no, I do use Sinhalese with my friends sometimes.
I wish if Facebook followed the Google’s approach on logging into multiple accounts at once. May be 3rd party clients capable of that? Haven’t thought about it much. I think such mobile apps would be definitely helpful 🙂 Any suggestions on that Carolyn? Might come in handy for those who inquire about managing multiple Facebook accounts.
Speaking of lists, currently they couldn’t convince me much either. I think it’s my restrictions on accepting friend requests kept me away from using lists 🙂 So far no problem, except Facebook now filter out some updates.
You have a wonderful weekend Carolyn 🙂
Cheers…
Hi Mayura, You’re right, there are pros and cons to both approaches. Lists can be time consuming to create and maintain but easier to monitor. Separate accounts can really keep your lives separate but more time consuming to manage.
On mobile devices I use Safari to access one Facebook account and my Facebook app to access the other. I never forget which one I’m on but when I link apps to my Facebook account I sometimes link the wrong account.
You’re right, it can be irritating to see posts in a language you don’t understand or posts from a game you don’t play. You could block the person but you may miss important updates then.
Carolyn, I love using lists! I have about a dozen different ones and only use friends (all) for more generic or sometimes personal type posts. I didn’t realize you could have 2 accounts though on Facebook. That would be too much to my already long list of accounts. Interesting about gamers, I’ve yet to play any via Facebook but see many who do.
Great point on posting with lists, you always have to double check whether using desktop or mobile.
Hi Lisa, Yes, gamers often have multiple accounts to be able to add fellow players without connecting their personal accounts. Officially you’re only allowed to have one Facebook account but even Mark Zuckerberg has more than one account, unless his pooch actually manages his own Facebook account.
You’re right, managing multiple accounts takes up more time but if you need to keep your lives separate or have any of the other reasons listed in the article, you may want more than one account. If you can use lists effectively, then that would be an efficient way of showing your posts to separate audiences.
Not able to comment on multiple profiles, I use friend lists to segregate certain friends, e.g. by geography, blood ties, etc., but moreover I don’t enable search engines to index my very public profile. Short of people clicking to my updates, what happens on Facebook stays on Facebook and Google is none the wiser.
Hi Ari, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, friends’ lists can be very effective in segregating your friends who see your posts.
Great idea in not allowing search engines to index your social media accounts but don’t rely too heavily on your social media posts staying private. Between social sharing and copying and pasting, a social media post can go viral quickly.