Anyone over 13-years-old can join Facebook, a popular social networking site. It doesn't cost a penny to join, and membership gives access to all sorts of bells and whistles to interact with other people on Facebook.
All that is required to join is filling out a form with your name, address, and e-mail. Log-in information includes an e-mail address and a personally chosen password. Once a page is set up you can add friends by importing your e-mail contacts or searching by searching for individuals directly in the Facebook site.
Setting Up Your Personalized Facebook Profile
Once you are registered on the site, you will want to set up your profile. This is the page that your friends will see. It lists all your information such as hobbies, any personal information that you want displayed to friends, and information about you, such as your favorite music and movies. You can list your contact information and any websites you may be affiliated with as well.
When you are setting up your interests, keep in mind that you can search for new friends by common interests. You can also join groups where people with common interests can readily find each other, and share thoughts and comments.
Meeting and Adding Friends on Your Facebook
Adding friends on Facebook is just a matter of finding the people you know and requesting that they confirm you as a friend. The application for adding friends is very simple to use. Consider searching for high school or college classmates, relatives, friends you work with, and family members. You can never have too many friends on Facebook. There is no limit to how many you can add.
Meeting new friends is really simple on this site. You can search for friends who like the same things you do, and meet new people in the many games and applications that you use. Another great feature is the "People You Might Know" tool. This application will list people who know your friends, so you can see if you know someone else, too. You can meet many common acquaintances this way.
Adding Applications to Your Facebook
You can also add applications to your page such as flair or bumper stickers. These fun features allow your friends to send you neat little gifts. Some gifts are free, while others may cost $1.00 or more, depending on what gifts you choose to give friends. There are also ways to virtually "poke" your friends, just to let them know you are thinking about them.
There is also a wall where your friends can send you messages. However, you also have an inbox if you prefer to keep your communication with others private.
The site has many fun games to enjoy as well. These are downloaded as applications. You can take trivia quizzes or even buy your friends as pets. There are also virtual pets to care for, and even your own personal garden to grow flowers.
One fun game called "Make Me a Celebrity," allows you to create your own virtual life. You can work jobs, make money, buy stuff, and even build your own personal entourage of friends. In this game, you can go from a nobody to an A-list star with very little work.
Facebook as a Business Network - A Bright Idea
If you would like to use the site for business networking, you are allowed to build additional pages for information on what you are currently offering to potential customers. You can then send messages to all your friends to keep them in the loop as well.
One great feature allows you to create a special event and send it to everyone in your local network. These features can also be used for personal fun, such as listing your birthday party, or non-profit charity event. You can also send notes out to everyone in your network about any news you may have.
Do not forget to check who your friends have listed on their pages, you may find someone you didn't even know was on the site. No matter how you intend to use Facebook, you are guaranteed to have a great time setting up your profile, adding friends, and adding your favorite applications. Be careful, as Facebook can become very addictive. That can be a good thing.
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