There is no way to post anonymously. However, you could create another Facebook account under a different, made up name and use that one to post on the health FB page.

Also, be sure to check out all the privacy options and account settings on your FB page to set it at the level you prefer. Mine is about 99 percent private. I don't allow anyone to "tag" me in photos without my permission.

Thanks dedtired. Hope you are getting some sleep lately :)

Ha! Not last night. I am pooped today from cooking all day yesterday and not sleeping well.

I went to delete my account and was very annoyed to find that it takes two weeks until it officially disappears--April 23!

Just be sure that if/when you set up an account that you are doing so according to their terms. No one is making you set up an account, but if they say you must use your own name and not a made up one, you should follow that rule. For some reason, I didn't think facebook allows you to create a "fake" page or use a fake name. I'd make sure you are following their terms/rules.

They don't totally delete your account in case you change your mind, or I would guess in the case that someone else (an ex husband, a kid playing, or spammer) got a hold of your account and asked for it to be deleted. It's a courtesy to you; they are not trying to be mean.

I easily set up a new Facebook page in a pseudonym. It is what I've chosen to do and didn't see any rule to the contrary. Honestly I don't see why they don't delete an account immediately when you ask for it. A courtesy in case I change my mind? That's somewhat demeaning and in any case two weeks is ridiculously long: two or three days, like some other sites, would do just as well.

Facebook is a free service and no one is required to use it.

Demanding that they do exactly what you want them to do exactly when you want them to do it won't necessarily happen. They do have a help center that most people don't bother to read, and they do give many options that most people don't bother to look up so that they understand their options.

If it was a paid service then, sure, I'd expect them to jump when a user said frog.

When I opened my facebook I did not use my real name. My first name is one thing and my last name is another. For example, you can use "Money Money". I did not fill out any of the questions. You can use any date for your birthday or zip code. I use facebook mostly to play the games, but I do have a few friends and relatives there. When I sent a friend request, that's when I told them who I was. Hope this helps

facebook does NOT close your account. I tried 2 years ago. When they recently changed things, I started to get messages from facebook that "so and so" posted their status, over and over, with just about everyone I had in my friends list.

My daughter just helped me to opt out of EVERYTHING one can. Hopefully I won't get any more messages after this.

Moni

I believe facebook does require you to use your real name. They want people to be able to know who they are dealing with. I think there are some exceptions where famous people can use stage names (like Lady Gaga but she still has to provide her real name to them).

Posing as someone else on the internet could get you in trouble. Since facebook requires you use you own name and you are not, that is in fact what you are doing --posing as someone else.

Check into it if you don't believe me. It should take you 3 seconds to goggle it. Or maybe take a second to actually read the rules when you sign up.

Yes, people do set up fake names, but it doesn't make it right. There are too many very scary scenarios that could arise from facebook allowing fake names. Facebook is not a site set up for people who want anonymity. It's exactly the opposite. Sorry, but your breaking the rules because you want to post an anonymous comment is just kind of selfish. And saying you didn't see it, is just playing the "ignorance is bliss" card.

By the way... why couldn't you post your comment with your real name? Is it mean, bullying, embarrassing, what?

carla, how could posing with an alternative name on the internet get you in trouble? People use aliases or alternate names all the time, and no, despite your name calling, I'm not a selfish human being because I've chosen to use one. I just signed up with one of several childhood nicknames I've had for eons and that many people call me. Please offer specifics so I can follow your argument: how will that get me in trouble on a free public site or what kind of "scary scenarios" will result? By the way, I do state in my first post why I have chosen to do so.

There are lots of fake names on facebook. Just look at some of the names that are listed. They are ridiculous. However, it's a good way to participate and still remain anonymous from the rest of the world.

I would like to delete my FB because a relative has pretty much taken over and posted a lot of old family pictures that are scattered on my wall. It is not the pictures I object to, it is just so disorganized. And then she posts a lot of her daily life, that really doesn't interest me.

I told someone I would like to delete it and start over with a different version of my name. She said it wouldn't matter if I did that because they already have my email addy and phone # etc.

Guess I'm stuck.

Sue

Sue, why don't you just delete those posts if they bother you? You can manage them with your options. You can manage what she posts in the future as to whether you want to see her posts or not.

Why do some of you feel you must close your fb accounts? I have joined dozens and dozens of sites over the years but never closed any of them. If you just don't go to fb or any other site any more, what is the harm in letting it just sit there, idle? Forever!

I can't even remember all the sites I've joined and ignored. Why is facebook any different?

So what's going to happen if you make up a name, are the facebook police going to come and take you away! Give me a really BIG BREAK! I you feel like you don't want anyone to know your real name then by all means...make up a name for crying out loud! The craziness never ends with facebook! GAAAAH!

From the Help Center regarding the use of fake names:

"Your account is temporarily suspended because your profile (timeline) doesnâÂÂt list your real name. Facebook is a community where people use their real identities......"

Here is a link that might be useful: https://www.facebook.com/help/?page=188360514544518

My DOG has a Facebook account. So does my daughter's dog. Both have a picture of their FACE in their profile and do not have our last names. Choose any name you want. Open up a web-based free email account. Go play!

My grandkids have changed their names on Facebook..after setting up their accounts!

Make up any name you want. People who don't want to use their real names do it all time. The worst that could happen is FB deletes the profile, and believe me, they don't really care. Out of millions of people with FB accounts, they have bigger fish to fry.

I don't blame you for not wanting your personal health info broadcast out to everyone you know! I wouldn't either.

How could posing with an alternative name on the internet get you in trouble?...

Well, would a mom posing as a friend of a child be ok? If she resorting to cuberbullying to protect her child would that matter? If a child committed suicide based partially on her comments would that matter?

How about a 30 year old uncaught serial rapist posing as John Smith, a 15 year boy, who just friended your daughter and posted LOL under her most recent picture?

How about me posing as Jay Leno, or Barbara Walters...would that be ok?

I guess it's just up to you personally to decide if your desire to post under a different name is ok and should be allowed. I mean, why follow facebook's rules when you know better. With that arguement, I guess it's also ok for the rapist to decide if he wants to post using a different name or not. Sorry, but IMO, it is a form of selfishness to think you personally don't have to follow the rules and/or can interpret them as you want.

carla35, your scenarios are absolutely ridiculous! She's not talking about creating a fake name so she can pretend she's some celebrity or other REAL person. Or posing as a child when she's really an old person! Get real here! She's just not wanting people to know her personal business! Everyone should be that smart! Some of the things people post on FB are so stupid...the personal information they give out boggles my mind sometimes! Common sense...how about USE IT!

Wanting some privacy in a health/diet setting is WAY different than the scenarios you are talking about Carla.

If the other people on the diet/health/fitness group are not using anonymous names then it is disrespectful to go into their group as a poser. They are speaking out and being honest about their issues and to use a pseudonym when coming into their playground to post could be seen by some as, well, pretty much troll like. It's just plain bad netiquette.

There are plenty of places to play on the internet where usernames are welcome and encouraged. Facebook is not one of them and especially so in a created group.

Rules are rules... you may argue that they are dumb or ridiculous or shouldn't apply in your case... you may even try to change them ...but they are still the rules.

You can either decide you are above them and don't follow them, or you can respect them and follow them. It's common sense to figure why rules are in place and why you should still follow them even if you think in your particular case they shouldn't apply. It is also common courtesy to follow the rules especially when you are playing someone else's game at their house.

Well, whatever, I'm still not using my real name. No one needs to know my real name. My friends and family know who I am. That's all that matters.

This is for sue va
Your relative sends a post or pic. Straight across from the name on the right,is a down arrow thing. Click on that. You then can unsubscribe to the posts and photos. You're still "Friends" but their stuff won't show up on your feed.

I can certainly see your point, WildChild.

I can also see the reasoning behind wanting to stay private. I think there is a fine line in those that want to stay private for personal reasons (such as someone else friend/or/family snooping on them too much) and someone wanting to stay private so they can stir the pot and create various "identities". It's a very tough call.

It's very scary how "out there" your info is on Facebook. I think if I was going to be very involved with something that was quite personal, I would want to remain anonymous for the most part. It would be impossible to say if the people you were iteracting with on that FB page were not using pseudo identities either.

*running off in search of the "beating a dead horse" .gif*

ROFLMAO

Actually using a fake name isn't all that private if you have friends and family there. There is that "six degrees of separation" thing that sort of gets in the way. Facebook was designed to bring people of commonalities together. If Marita for example joined The Kitchen Table Gang on FB she would be close to disclosing her identity. If she were to have mutual friends on FB with some others from here it wouldn't take long to figure out what she was about just by reading her friends' news feeds, eventually something would come up and the fake name would appear. A Gotcha moment. It's a small world. Not a stretch to say that one of us or one her her family might be on the group she wants to post at secretly.

If someone has a need to remain private then they need to use means other than a social media site like FB to deal with life issues. If people are worried about nosy neighbors or relatives then the answer is don't go to sites that are meant to help people find you. FB was designed to help people find other people who they may have lost touch with. Because that is the purpose it is not a proper place to hide behind a mask. It's a PITA for those sincere people who want to connect.

I have to admit I know very little about the way FB works. I just didn't want to hurt my relative's feelings so I thought starting over and not friending her would solve the problem.

I have no reason to try to use a fake name. I definitely believe in following the rules in any situation. I would never put anything that would be so personal on FB.

So thank you, oldgardener and coffeemom for giving me a way to take care of this.

Sue

ok, ok, you win. I went in and changed my alias to my real name. But it doesn't matter really, because I don't post anything personal or add personal pictures on my page. I did add pictures of my crocheted easter eggs and my ghost hunt adventure, but there are no picture of me or my family on my site. As for game friends (perople I do not know), I created a folder where I placed them. They do not have access to my site nor do I have access to theirs.