Before I start this post I want to make it absolutely clear that I am in no way suggesting that anyone should delete their Facebook account. I just want to put the information out there for those who feel the time has come to detach themselves from the all-encompassing social networking giant. Although when I describe it in that way I’m almost tempted to jump ship.
Why hit delete?
People delete their Facebook accounts for all sorts of reasons. Some want to remove the distraction that Facebook offers in the way of social gaming and pointless interaction. Others want to reconnect with the people in their life in a meaningful way. And for others it’s an issue of privacy, we all know that Facebook mines our data for advertising purposes, and some people just aren’t cool with that.
Try Deactivating…
If you aren’t sure about completely deleting your Facebook account you might want to try deactivating your account for a few months. This is particularly useful if productivity is your primary reason for getting rid of it.
Head to Account Settings > Security > Deactivate Your Account.
You will then see a page with pictures of your friends telling you how much they’ll miss you. Fill out the information and click confirm. You can still reactivate your account if you decide you can handle the distraction, or are just missing angry birds. Reactivating your account is devilishly simple, you simply log-in again, so you’ll have to exercise a lot of willpower.
Hit the Self Destruct Button
If you are certain that Facebook is not for you, there are certain steps you will have to take to get rid of your account.
- Revoke all third party app access to your account. This will save you a lot of time, as you’ll be given a 14 day grace period when you can’t login to your account to make the delete permanent. Some third party apps will count as a login, so visiting their website will mean you have to start the whole palaver over again.
- Get contact details for all of your friends, you don’t want to wind up missing Facebook because you’ve lost contact with an old friend.
- Download a copy of your Facebook data – not only does this show everything that should cease to be when you delete your account, but it also makes for an interesting dip into your past.
- Visit this page and fill out the form.
- Do not login to your account for 14 days, after this point your account will be gone and you’ll probably gain an average of 6.5 hours per month in previously wasted time.
Tags: advice, deactivate account, delete facebook, Facebook, how-to, social media
