Best Facebook tips and tricks

1. Download your Facebook data 

With so much of our lives plastered over Facebook, many of us feel forever locked in for fear of losing that content. It doesn't have to be this way. Facebook can email you a Zip file containing any posts, photos and videos you've shared, messages and chat conversations, information from the About section of your profile, and more. Just click the downward triangle at the top right of the page and choose Settings. On the General tab hit the link 'Download a copy of your Facebook data'. Finally, on the next page click 'Start My Archive'.

2. Keep your parents off Facebook: Make your photo albums available offline 

My mum keeps threatening to join Facebook. She's interested only in looking at my photo albums. Rather than giving her access to everything and staying on my best behaviour forever more, I can simply send her a link to view the photo album offline. To do this just open an album and click the settings icon. Choose Get link. You can either copy and paste the photo album link or click 'Send in message', but note that the latter uses Facebook's messaging system, so it won't work for your not-on-Facebook mum. So copy the link, open an email client, paste in the link, address the email to your mum, hit Send and voila. 

3. Display a nickname or maiden name 

Remember when people used to change their names on Facebook every other week, perhaps adding in a nickname or a maiden name? Well, Facebook had the last laugh when it limited the number of times you could change your profile name. As if the wind had changed, all of a sudden you were stuck with that name for all eternity. For example, I know a bloke called Neil who is now called Philip for Facebook purposes (I don't pretend to understand why).  

If you must play around with nicknames, maiden names or whatever, there is a better way to do it. Click the downward triangle at the top of the screen and choose Settings, then on the General tab click Edit next to Name. Enter an alternate name and tick the box to include it on your Timeline, then click Save changes. Don't try to add anything that is either offensive, promotes your business or impersonates someone else, however - Facebook will block your attempts.

4. Block app requests and notifications 

Did you just get yet another request to play Candy Crush Saga? Or are your friends pestering you to log into Meow Chat? Are you still just as disinterested as ever? The good news is that it's incredibly easy to block Candy Crush Saga, Meow Chat and any other apps that irritate you. Just click that downward triangle icon, choose Settings, Blocking, then scroll to the bottom of the page and enter the names of any apps you don't want to hear from.

5. Limit who can see a post 

Sometimes you don't want a specific friend to see a particular item that you're sharing. Perhaps you don't want your mum to see a photo of you holding a cigarette, or your boss to see a post in which you're telling the world you're pulling a sicky. Write up your status or add an image as you normally would, but before you hit post click the Friends drop-down before it. Choose More options. From here you can choose to share it with either a particular friends list, or you can click Custom to specify exactly who can and who can't see the update.

6. Keep your Facebook profile private 

Facebook these days does a pretty good job of securing your privacy by default, but you may have accidentally altered a setting and are now giving away far more information than you'd like - and potentially to complete strangers. Head to Settings, Privacy and check all the options listed. From here you can define who can see your posts, items you've shared or those you're tagged in, as well as who can request you as a friend. There are other options, too. Check them out.