Facebook for Beginners

When I first thought of writing a post about Facebook, I wasn’t sure that I would be telling anyone anything new. Facebook has been around for over ten years and is used by over a billion people worldwide. And then, I started to discuss Facebook with my cousin, Julia, who had heard about it but didn’t quite know how it worked. Julia, this one is for you!

What Is Facebook?

Facebook, located at www.facebook.com, is a social networking website that allows you to keep in touch with friends, family, workmates, and other people who have ever been a part of your life, through the Internet, without having to go through the tedious process of writing emails to each person.

How Does Facebook Work?

First, you need to open a free Facebook account. Once you have an account, you’ll also have a Facebook profile, which is like your home on Facebook. Your profile can include a photograph (but doesn’t have to) and will have some basic information about yourself (you determine how much you want to share and with whom). Then, using tools such as Facebook Friend Finder, you can search for people with whom you’d like to connect on Facebook. 

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You can also import your email contacts into Facebook, and the website will let you know which of your contacts are already on the networking site. When you find someone you’d like to connect with, you send them a friend request. If they accept your request, then your Facebook accounts will be connected and you will be said to be “Facebook Friends”. (People can also send you friend requests which you are free to accept or decline.) Once you are connected with other people, you can then share information about your lives, send messages, and share photos, among other things.

How Does Facebook Differ from Other Social Networking Sites Such as Hi5?

First and foremost, Facebook is extremely user-friendly. Other than that, what I find to be its most distinguishing feature is the home page news feed which allows you to see what your friends are up to simply by logging into Facebook. This feature allows me to find out, for instance, that a good friend will be getting married soon, that another friend who lives half way across the globe will be visiting my city soon, and that my baby brother is in a funk…simply by logging into Facebook. Previously, acquiring this same information would have required me to write at least 3 separate emails, one to each of the people mentioned.

I am a people person. The relationships that I have built over the years (across the world) mean a lot to me.

Unfortunately, I am not blessed with the gift of keeping in touch.

Although, I may care deeply for my friends and family, rarely am I the one to initiate phone calls or emails to see how my loved ones are faring.

Facebook has allowed me to bring all the relationships that I treasure so much from my past, back into my present, regardless of the distance that separates me from the other person.

READ ALSO: Thriving and Surviving After Divorce

My life is infinitely richer because of Facebook.

READ ALSO: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Visits Kenya

Before you immediately rush out and open a Facebook account, I would like to end with a word of warning: Facebook is addictive! The first couple of times (or months) that you log onto Facebook, you might wonder why you keep spending so much more time on it than you’d planned. I am here to let you know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Eventually, you will learn how to strike your own personal balance regarding how much time you spend on Facebook. Do not fear!

Now, go ahead and connect! Let me know what you think when you do.

Biche

Photo Credits: news-fraiches.com; Abul Hussain