AN INTRODUCTION TO FACEBOOK
Learning Objectives
• A brief introduction to the social networking
site Facebook.
• Instructions to create an account.
• How to personalize your account.
– Account settings – including privacy
• Learn about friend requests and group invites.
• Learn about Facebook’s internal messaging
and chat systems.
What is Facebook?
• Facebook is a social
networking site that
was first started for the
college crowd.
• Originally created by
Mark Zuckerberg while
at Harvard.
• Other social site
competitors are: Bebo,
MySpace, Xanga,
Friendster, etc.
Facebook Today
• More than 400 million active users.
• More than 60 million status updates posted
each day.
• Average user spends more than 55 minutes a
day on site.
• More than 100 million active users currently
accessing the site on their mobile devices.
• About 70% of Facebook users are outside the
U.S.
Source: http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
Taking the leap
CREATING YOUR FACEBOOK
ACCOUNT
Account creation: Filling out the form
Visit www.facebook.com
What you will need:
- Personal email address
- You can set up a
personal email account
with Gmail, Hotmail,
Yahoo! Mail, etc.
- Password
Make sure to review the
confirmation email that
will be sent to your email
address.
Account Creation: Figuring out the
captcha
• Once you filled out the
form, you will be
provided with a captcha
image as a security check.
– Captcha images are meant
to stop automated
programs from creating
multiple accounts.
• Enter the text in the box
and click the Sign Up
button.
Account Creation: Finding friends
You can find friends
already on Facebook by
going through your
email contacts list.
- You can bypass this
and the other steps by
choosing Skip this step
in the lower right hand
corner.
Account Creation: Profile information
The second step will ask you
to fill out your school
information and the
company you are
affiliated with.
- You can choose to skip
this step and add the
information you want
later. If you choose to
add now, be sure to click
on Save & Continue.
Account Creation: Profile picture
The third step will ask you
to upload a photo from
your computer or take a
photo with your
webcam.
- If you don’t have a
photo, you can choose
to skip this step. If you
do upload, make sure to
click Save & Continue.
Account Creation: Adding a photo
from your computer.
If you choose to add a
photo from your
computer, this is what
the screen looks like.
- Photo must be no
more than 4MB max.
- If too large, try editing
the image with your
computer’s image
editing software.
Be Facebook smart
BUILDING YOUR PROFILE
Building your profile – A 6-step process
Building your profile
You again have the option to:
– search your email contacts to look for friends already
on the site (optional).
– Upload a profile picture (optional).
– Fill in your profile information.
New Options:
– Link your mobile phone with your account (optional).
– Search for people you know.
– Set privacy options.
Profile Privacy
Take a look at the privacy
explanation and the
privacy policy.
Profile Privacy: Do’s and don’ts
Do’s
- Post information that you
are comfortable with
sharing.
- Remain professional with
information/images
shared.
- Build an online reputation
that you would want
others to see.
Don’ts
- Post information that can
help others identify your
particular location.
- Write comments on
Facebook walls that are
inappropriate or abusive.
- Assume that your profile
won’t come up on a
Google search (depending
on privacy settings).
Privacy Settings – Option
At the top left of your
profile, click on
Account.
- Select the Privacy
Settings option in the
drop down menu.
Privacy Settings - Menu
Use the five options to choose:
- Who can see your profile
- Set your contact
information
- Control search results in
Facebook and search
engines
- Block those who can
interact with you
- Control what information is
available to Facebook apps.
Creativity using a blank canvas
PERSONALIZING YOUR PROFILE
A new profile
This is what a new profile
looks like (without
information loaded).
- There is a box for you to
share recent updates
- You can attach photos,
video, events, or a link
with your profile
updates.
What does a profile usually have?
• Profile photo/ other
photos
• Status updates/wall
comments from friends
• Friends list
• Group information – that
which you are a member
of in Facebook
• Fan pages
• Applications that have
been added.
A note about photos
Photos on Facebook can
be those you post or
those others have
posted that you’ve been
identified in.
- Photos others post up
can be tagged with your
name. (You can choose
to remove the tag).
INVITES AND REQUESTS
Friend requests
You can find friend
requests at the top right
hand corner of your
Facebook home screen.
- When a request comes
through, you’ll see it in
the requests section of
the page.
Friend request – accept or ignore?
Not all the requests you
receive may be people
you know.
- This friend request is
an example of that.
- You can confirm the
friend request to accept
or choose to ignore.
CONCLUSION