Will Others See if You Send Someone a Message on Facebook?

Facebook's built-in real-time chat system, which works like traditional IM programs, is linked to the asynchronous offline messaging system, which works like a standard email tool. Any private communications between you and another through chat or the messages system is automatically saved in the Messages section of Facebook.

Click on the "Messages" link in Facebook to view your recent conversations. You can browse conversations by contact or search for specific users or keywords. It is also possible to delete individual messages or entire conversations using the "Actions" menu, but deleting a message does not affect the copy held by the other user in the conversation.Choose the "Archive" option to hide the conversation from view without deleting it. Note that group chats and messages are also possible on Facebook -- you can see the participants in each conversation at the top of the thread.

Timeline posts and comments can be viewed by other users on Facebook, depending on the privacy settings applied to each post. When creating posts of your own, use the audience selector drop-down to choose which of the friends in your network are able to see the content. Choosing "Public" means the content is visible anyone on the Web and the Facebook network. When adding a comment to an existing post, the audience is determined by the creator of the post, and your comment can be viewed by the same group of people.

Messages between you and another individual sent over chat or through the messages interface are kept private unless someone else gains access to your account. If you're using a public computer or shared device, ensure you always log off after each session. Choose a strong, lengthy password which you change on a regular basis, and set up an additional security question from the Account Settings page. In addition, keep your computer protected by using a competent suite of security tools which are updated on a regular basis.