# How to block a certain person on Facebook from seeing my updates without de-friending them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475 "2011-05-27T19:33:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kwc27](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@kwc27](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwc27)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475/1 "2011-05-27T19:33:42Z")
I have an 80 year old great aunt who, bless her soul, really doesn’t understand the concept of the “like” button on Facebook. She “likes” EVERY SINGLE post, picture, comment, and otherwise I put on my profile. She even likes other people’s comments on my stuff. Is there a way to just block her from seeing my posts without de-friending her? I don’t care if she can still see my profile if she looks for it. I’d just like to get my stuff off her news feed. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475/2 "2011-05-27T19:38:16Z")
You can click on the lock at the bottom right of each post to block certain groups or certain people from seeing it, on a post-by-post basis. For a blanket kinda thing, put Granny into a group, even if it’s by herself and change your preferences under “Privacy” to where she can’t see whatever it is you want her to see. (Now, the problem of her asking why you don’t ever post anything anymore is an issue, and a problem I’ve had in my life: blocking my mom from seeing a post, without blocking my brother and sister :smack: Yes, of course he showed her.) ---
**Author:** ![Profound\_Gibberish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Profound\_Gibberish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profound_Gibberish)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475/3 "2011-05-27T19:42:13Z")
Unfriending is just the craziest thing. People take it so personally. I was cleaning up my profile and unfriended several people that 1) never posted on their facebook and 2) never commented on my posts. You would have thought they had been excommunicated! Thanks chaoticbear for that idea. I like that! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475/4 "2011-05-27T19:43:21Z")
Just FYI, you don’t want “Group” as in “Create a Group” in the left-hand menu. That is a whole different weird thing than a “List” which is what you want. I only know this because I helped my friend back out of the Group thing last week 🙂 Click on your name on the top-left. Then Friends under that. Then “Edit Friends” at the top right. Then “Create a List” in the top middle. Put granny on a list, then block that list from your updates. ---
**Author:** ![mutantmoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@mutantmoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mutantmoose)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475/5 "2011-05-27T22:24:32Z")
And a related question - is it possible to log in without everybody seeing that I’m logged in ie by not appearing in the friends logged in thing on the left side? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475/6 "2011-05-27T22:35:13Z")
> [@mutantmoose](#): > > And a related question - is it possible to log in without everybody seeing that I’m logged in ie by not appearing in the friends logged in thing on the left side? Click on Chat \> Options \> Go Offline, and you should stay invisible until you click the Chat button again. This includes logging in again later. Note that you will also be unable to see if anyone else is online. ---
**Author:** ![mutantmoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@mutantmoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mutantmoose)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475/7 "2011-05-27T22:47:01Z")
ok thanks. Sometimes it’s nice to see what people are up to but I hate having to announce my presence to the whole world every time. Puts me off logging in at all. So no one can see I’m logged in now? ---
**Author:** ![kwc27](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@kwc27](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwc27)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475/8 "2011-05-28T01:45:36Z")
Thanks. I put my great aunt and her daughter in a group and blocked them. Hell, I just updated my status to say I was fighting one of the worst colds of my life and felt like I was dieing and sure as shit, the daughter, my mom’s cousin, liked it. Christ all mighty. Even my grandma and uncle talk about how it’s a sure thing that my great aunt and her daughter “like” everything. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475/9 "2011-05-28T05:10:45Z")
> [@dbx820](#): > > You would have thought they had been excommunicated Well, technically speaking , they were lol. Declan ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-block-a-certain-person-on-facebook-from-seeing-my-updates-without-de-friending-them/583475/10 "2011-05-28T13:55:08Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Just FYI, you don’t want “Group” as in “Create a Group” in the left-hand menu. That is a whole different weird thing than a “List” which is what you want. I only know this because I helped my friend back out of the Group thing last week 🙂 > > Click on your name on the top-left. > Then Friends under that. > Then “Edit Friends” at the top right. > Then “Create a List” in the top middle. > > Put granny on a list, then block that list from your updates. Oops, terminology fail. :o I am just constantly dirty on my facebook, and rely on not friending too many family members or anyone from work to keep me sane.