What Does it Mean When Somebody Tags You on Facebook?

Tags are a Facebook device that help friends share information about each other on the social networking site. A tag is essentially a link to your Facebook profile that becomes attached to a photo or post -- anyone on your friend list is permitted to tag you. Luckily, if you don't like a tag, it is easy to remove it.

When someone tags you in a photo, a copy of the photo is transferred to your profile. When a visitor to your profile clicks on the "Photos" link under your profile picture, he sees all of the images you are tagged in under the albums you have created yourself. A copy of the photo also remains on the profile of the friend who uploaded it, and visitors to her profile will be able to see that you are tagged in the image. You receive a notification when someone tags you in an image.

When a friend tags you in a post, your name appears as a link in her update -- anyone who sees the post may click on the link and be directed to your profile. A copy of the post also appears on your profile wall, so all visitors who have access to your wall will see it. Just as with photo tags, you always receive a notification when a friend tags you in one of her posts.

While you cannot stop a person from tagging you, Facebook always allows you to remove a tag you are unhappy with. Underneath each photo or post in which you are tagged, there is a "Remove Tag" link; just click it to cancel the tag. The photo or post will no longer appear on your profile, though the photo or post will still exist on your friend's page.

Facebook gives you permission to put tags on any photo you have access to view. This means that even if you are not a Facebook user's friend, if her privacy settings are such that you can view her photos you are free to assign tags to them. Just click on the "Tag this photo" link beneath an image and follow the on-screen prompts to insert a tag. To tag a friend in a post, just type the "@" symbol and then the friend's name.