The World of Facebook

What is Facebook?

Facebook is a social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc.^[1] Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region*.

*taken from Wikipedia

Facebook will guide you through the sign up process. All you need to do is enter a few simple things and you will be on your way!

• Adding Your Information – you can add as much or as little information about yourself as you wish.

View and Edit Profile

Here is an example of adding information.

• Privacy – Facebook has many different privacy options to protect your information and photos.  To access these settings, click on Settings. Go to Privacy – Manage.  Choose the levels of privacy that make you the most comfortable. Your privacy settings can be changed at any time.

Privacy 1   Privacy 2

• Notifications – the settings tab is also where you can manage what you will receive notifications for and how you will receive them (texts or emails).

Notifications

There are two main navigational pages you will frequently use on Facebook.

• Home Page – from the Home Page you can quickly update your status, as well as, see a feed of your and your friends’ activities.  On the right side of your Home Page you can see Requests, Suggestions, and Highlights.

Navigation

• Profile Page – by clicking on the word Profile or clicking on your name you will be sent to your individual page. This page acts like your personal Facebook website.  It contains your Wall, your list of Friends, your Galleries, your Notes, and your Applications.  There are also tabs to Info, Photos, other Applications. (Some of these are repetitive features)

Profile Page

Now that you have signed up and found a few of your friends, how can you connect and communicate with more?

• Finding More – One easy way to find some new friends is to see who your friends are friends with.  Facebook tries to help you with this by showing you “friend suggestions” which is located on your Home Page.

Friend Suggestions

• Accepting or Ignoring Requests – with Facebook you have the privacy of accepting or rejecting people as your friends. Don’t worry about offending those you do not want to “friend” by ignoring a request. No notification is sent to the requestor, you simply will not become friends with them.
• Communicating – Facebook lets you communicate with your friends in many different ways.
  • If you want to say something about a post that someone made, you can simply click the word “comment” under the post and type whatever you want to say.   You can also just show support by clicking the “like” button. 
  • If you want to say something to a friend that is not a reply, click on their name and then write on their wall by writing in the area that says, “write something”.
  • If you want to send a private message that will not be seen by anyone else, click the “Send ____ a Message” link under their photo.

Send Private Message

Facebook allows you to express your interests and life in many different ways. From simple status updates to photo galleries, and even joining groups and fan clubs for your favorite things.

• Status Updates – simply type in what you are doing or thinking. All status updates begin with your name and allow you to complete the sentence. Example: Debra Verber is sharing the joy of Facebook with the QC Computer Society.
• Walls – your wall shows your all of your Facebook activity and is also a place for you and your friends to have conversations. In addition, you can comment on other wall posts, as well as your own.   Debra’s Wall
• Notes – used for things that are too long to be a status update. They are very similar to a blog post for your Facebook page. To create a Note, click on the Notes tab from your Profile page.  You can link any of your friends in your notes and they will receive a notification. This is called Tagging.
• Events – you can create events and invite all your Facebook friends to attend. The Event creation allows for easy rsvp and attendance tracking.

Here are some pictures showing the setup process:

Event 1   Event 2   Event 3

• Galleries – Facebook allows you to create photo galleries and upload all of your favorite photos. Facebook allows you to label your friends in your photos. This is called also called Tagging.

Gallery Page

Tagging A Photo

• Groups and Fan Pages - create or join a group for your club, school, hobby, or just about anything. Groups and Fan Pages allow you to become friends with people with similar interests, who you may never have met otherwise. They also allow you to create events for your group.

Groups and Fan Pages

Applications are small programs that exist on your Facebook account. They range from playing games to connecting you to your social networks.

Here are some examples that we both use:

• Games – solitaire, poker, dice, word games, and more.
• Quizzes – create your own or choose from hundreds to take.  Find out things like what color represents you or which of your friends knows you the best.
• Twitter/Blog Feed – various applications allow you to use your Twitter or Blog RSS feed to share your most up to date thoughts or actions.
• Interests – create book shelves and list movies or music you enjoy.
• Practical - many applications help you remember some of those day to day tasks that you may forget. Birthday calendars and count down calendars can be very useful.

Statistics of Applications

Pros:

• Reconnecting with old friends.
• Keeping in touch with friends and family near and far.
• Making new friends in your area and around the world.
• Making new friends with people with similar interests.
• Sharing photos with friends and family.
• Keeping track of important dates and events.

Cons:

• It can be difficult to find exactly what you are looking for with the Facebook interface.
• Privacy can be an issue – Facebook rights.  If you wouldn’t show it to “everyone” – don’t put it out there to be seen.