How to Make Your Birthday Available on Your Facebook

By Brandon James

Your birthday doesn't have to be a secret when you're using Facebook.
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Facebook is a social networking site with over 600 million active users. As a member of Facebook, you can keep track of your friends' birthdays and send them birthday wishes by posting on their wall or sending them a private message. You can also choose whether or not to make your own birthday available to all of your friends, and when the time comes, you can use Facebook to send your buddies invitations to the party.

Editing Your Birthday

Click the "Edit Profile" button on the top-right corner of your profile page. Your birthday is under the "Basic Information" tab. To the right of your birthday is a drop-down menu where you can choose if you want your full birthday to be visible on your profile, just the month and the day, or not at all. Click "Save Changes."

Privacy Settings

Facebook gives you the option to make your birthday visible not only to your friends, but to the friends of your friends, and even to everybody who happens upon your profile. Click on "Account" from the bar at the top of your Facebook page and select "Privacy Settings." You can make your entire profile viewable by "Everyone," "Friends of Friends," or "Friends Only" or select "Customize settings" to choose which information to make visible to whom. Click "Apply These Settings" when done.

Friends' Birthdays

From your Facebook "Home" page, click "Events," then "Birthdays." If your friends have their birthdays visible to you, their birthdays will appear under the appropriate month, along with their coming age if they made their birth year visible. Facebook will also remind you of friends' birthdays when they are coming up.

Creating a Birthday Event

You can also use Facebook to send invitations for your birthday party to your friends. Click "Events" from your Facebook "Home" page and select "Create an Event." Set the date, time, location, and details regarding the birthday party in the following prompt. Under "Who's invited?," click "Select Guests." A list of all your friends will appear. Choose from among them whom you want to come to your party. Click "Create Event."

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