How do I delete my Facebook account?

With the increased privacy violations on Facebook (remember when your birthday year wasn’t even shown?) a good number of people are looking to rid themselves of the social outlet.

So how does one delete a Facebook account?  It’s actually rather difficult as Facebook has tendrils everywhere now, but here’s a step by step tutorial.

To delete a Facebook account you need to:

1.  Tell people who you only communicate through Facebook that you are quitting so they have time to connect with you elsewhere, wither through email or some other social media.

2.  Delete all Facebook connect logins.  Facebook can be attached to your Digg, Meetup, etc.  Make sure all of these are detached from Facebook or they might log you in by accident.

3.

 Save anything off of Facebook that you think you might need later.  You never know when you might needs those pictures you uploaded.  You won’t be able to grab anything off Facebook after it’s gone.

4.  Copy and paste the following link: http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account

5.  Press the submit button and then follow the instructions on the screen.  Facebook will try to guilt trip you by saying your friends will miss you.  Be strong in your resolve and just do it.

6.  DO NOT LOG IN FOR 14 DAYS.  This is very important since your Facebook is still technically active and under review.  If you still consistently log in for 14 days after you’ve deleted your account, Facebook may not delete your account after all.

7.  If after 14 days your account is still active, go through these steps again.  Sometimes Facebook is stubborn and won’t let go, you may have to kick it a few more times before it takes.

So that’s the rundown!  If you follow these steps, your Facebook account will be history.  Good luck!