how do you go stealth mode on FB?

[lovin'fl]

How can I keep my FB account but not let folks know I still have it? I recently deactivated but am logging back in to see stuff, then deactivate again. Yeah, you can kinda look at FB without being a member but you have to find what you're looking for and there is that 'sign up' pop up window that is irritating. Just easy to log back in. But I don't want folks to know I am logged in because I have a few FB friends who are all about getting likes and will question if I saw such and such and why didn't I comment or click like. Tiring. But if I have to look to see when so-and-so's birthday is or when someone said this event was happening, I want to keep my account open. Is there a way to go incognito?

 

[Pamlur]

Turn off chat.

 

[lovin'fl]

But I want folks to not even know I have a FB.

 

[disneychrista]

But I want folks to not even know I have a FB.

Change your name and other details to something they don't know. And then don't tell anyone about it.

Or set up a second one with a different email and just keep the other deactivated.

 

[cluvsdisney]

Turn off the chat so no one sees you online.
Don't post anything.

Or jot down everyone's birthday on a calendar so you don't need to go onto facebook for that information, then set up a second account with different info like @disneychrista suggested so you can keep track of the events you want to follow.

 

[DLgal]

Just ignore or block the annoying people. Simple.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

I have had to block a few its no big deal

 

[wenrob]

I take breaks for months at a time but I’d still like to see things from pages I follow like my hockey team, cooking groups, photography groups, Disneyland Pass holders etc. so I made a second account. I have no friends on that account just the groups.

That’s not going to help you know about events or birthdays though. Birthdays that are important I have in my calendar and if someone wants me at an event I would hope they’d contact me and let me know. You pretty much have to make the choice to participate on FB or not. For me is easier sometimes not to.

 

[violina]

You can turn off the chat, which helps a lot, but there's no other real way to go incognito. From my own experience, those that change their names actually become more obvious to me (and this is purely anecdotal, so take it with a grain of salt) because I'm particular about who is on my list. Which causes me to actually go to their page to figure out who they are. For the most part I keep my FB around but I don't post so it looks mostly inactive except for the times I update like once or twice a year. If anyone asks, I tell them that I'm taking a break from it and that has helped condition people over time that I will not be responsive to their posts.

 

[HopperFan]

But I want folks to not even know I have a FB.

First you have to "unfriend" everyone, then alter your name, make all your info private to non-friends, change your profile picture of something not you, delete all your posts and photos and put up a generic cover photo. But by doing that you will likely be blocked by lots of their posts or private info like birthdays, since you aren't friends ... so you might as well delete your account.

If you still want to read their stuff ................ delete all your posts and photos, then DON'T add anymore. They will begin to forget about you being there because nothing shows up on their timeline. Turn off your chat so they don't know when you are on. And spy away. If they say anything to you just say "oh I don't get on facebook anymore" and if they go look they will see you never post and believe you. BUT you can never comment or like anything or they'll see it.

I have a few relatives that use FB 100% to spy on the rest of the family. They never post anything and the only things that pop on their page is when their kids tag them. But they don't get to spy on me much because I have most my posts blocked to them.

 

[lovin'fl]

Maybe I can leave it deactivated for a while and then quietly activate it again (not posting anything anymore).

 

[disneychrista]

It is the posting that will draw attention to yourself. I have chat turned off. But honestly I think I have less than 10 "friends," I don't communicate with anyone and I don't post. And I really only use it to look up what businesses are doing. I have recently stopped doing that, as I am becoming more and more a homebody.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

How can I keep my FB account but not let folks know I still have it? I recently deactivated but am logging back in to see stuff, then deactivate again. Yeah, you can kinda look at FB without being a member but you have to find what you're looking for and there is that 'sign up' pop up window that is irritating. Just easy to log back in. But I don't want folks to know I am logged in because I have a few FB friends who are all about getting likes and will question if I saw such and such and why didn't I comment or click like. Tiring. But if I have to look to see when so-and-so's birthday is or when someone said this event was happening, I want to keep my account open. Is there a way to go incognito?

Just say “No, I’m rarely on social media. Do you really have so much time on your hands that you track who’s liking your Facebook posts? Get a life, weirdo.” Or, maybe just say the first part. Whatever you think is best in that particular situation.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Honestly if someone was tracking what I did on a regular basis as far as what time I was on social media I would tell them to get a life and get out of mine

I try to have my phone off by 8 every night but life happens so it does not always work that way

 

[BadPinkTink]

You can set all your posts and photos to friends only, then add certain people to the restricted list. This means that you are still friends with them but they will only see posts and photos that you set to public.

You can also hide your friend list and remove your Facebook from Google search.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

then you need new friends if they're questioning you why you didn't like something. If someone asked me that, I'd unfriend them immediately.

 

[Pucks104]

First you have to "unfriend" everyone, then alter your name, make all your info private to non-friends, change your profile picture of something not you, delete all your posts and photos and put up a generic cover photo. But by doing that you will likely be blocked by lots of their posts or private info like birthdays, since you aren't friends ... so you might as well delete your account.

If you still want to read their stuff ................ delete all your posts and photos, then DON'T add anymore. They will begin to forget about you being there because nothing shows up on their timeline. Turn off your chat so they don't know when you are on. And spy away. If they say anything to you just say "oh I don't get on facebook anymore" and if they go look they will see you never post and believe you. BUT you can never comment or like anything or they'll see it.

I have a few relatives that use FB 100% to spy on the rest of the family. They never post anything and the only things that pop on their page is when their kids tag them. But they don't get to spy on me much because I have most my posts blocked to them.

Honestly that’s a bit creepy.

 

[TavieP]

Just don't post and don't chat. People can't see if you're logged in, you can lurk, just don't "like" or comment on anyone's posts. It'll be as if you disappeared. Your account will be active but there will be no "activity" on it so people will think you just don't use it anymore.

Don't overthink this!

 

[DopeyDame]

Maybe I can leave it deactivated for a while and then quietly activate it again (not posting anything anymore).

That's what I did. I deactivated for nearly a year, and the reactivated because a relative died and it was the easiest way to get info about her funeral. I haven't re-deactivated, but everyone still assumes that I'm gone. As long as I don't post anything, I think I should be free to spy without people realizing I'm there.
BUT... I'm now finding myself killing time on facebook again, which was the whole reason I deactivated to begin with. So your post is prompting me to just go deactive again.
I do have a second account with no friends that I use just for the kids' school groups and a community service group, since facebook is the only way those folks communicate (which, incidentally, I HATE, but oh well...)

 

[lovin'fl]

Yeah, maybe I can open a second FB to add the travel groups (Like DHHIR and the cruise ones). And can add our local restaurant pages to see the daily specials. Then I can also open certain things that sleuthers on web sleuths find (like a missing person page that has interesting comments or the missing person's FB page itself...or a POI's page). Cause the regular FB stuff sucks. All the drama from political arguments to vaguebookers to folks who post every little detail of their life and are all about how many likes they get to.....etc. I like Instagram better because I like to see snippets of people's lives and not their 1000 page autobiography/manifesto. Sometimes knowing too much info isn't a good thing.