3. Specify settings for each photo album. (Even if it's just to make sure that your boss won't see photos of you cavorting on the beach when you told him you were sick.)

In Settings > Privacy (Manage) > Profile Information > Photo Albums (Settings), you can change privacy settings for each photo album. First, in "Who Can See This?" make sure that none of your albums are visible to "Everyone" because this means any Facebook user can view them. For friend-specific settings, click "Customize" from the drop-down menu where you can enter names and friend lists in "Except These People." This way you can share your drunken spree photos (never a good idea) with your "BFFs" friends list, but not with your "Work" list.

4. Disable posting to your wall. Sure, it's cool for a friend to be able to put a public birthday greeting on your Wall, until the same friend writes a well-meaning note on it about your unemployment, or a link to an article on combating depression. One of the biggest mistakes FB users make is to treat the Wall as a private message board when it's in full public view. If you want a surefire barrier against posts you have no control over, disable the function by clicking on Settings > Privacy (Manage) > Profile Information, and uncheck the box next to "Allow friends to post on my Wall."