Facebook is a social network that allows users to create profiles, connect with friends, share photos and information. It has hundreds of millions of active users worldwide, making it the largest social network. Users can like and share links and updates, while organizations can create pages to connect with customers. Facebook is also a platform for developers to create engaging apps and games for users. The site encourages sharing information publicly, so users must adjust privacy settings to control what is shared.

1. What is facebook?
Facebook is a social network - it allows you to and invite people in to talk to and share
create a profile, connect with friends, send information with.
messages, share photos and play games. It’s
the biggest network of its type in the world, Facebook has a simple way for you to share
with hundreds of millions of active users. links with people, which is by liking them -
which you do by simply clicking a button that
says ‘Like’ on it. It could be an update
someone has published, or a photo maybe.
Facebook Like buttons also appear on web
pages outside Facebook - so people can share
pages they find interesting with their friends.
Platform
Organisations as well as individuals can have As well as being a social network, Facebook is
a presence in Facebook too, by creating also a platform for developers to create
‘pages’. These can also be used for individuals programs to run within it. Often these
as a persona other than their personal one. applications are games, and there is a huge
So, if you wanted a presence in Facebook for industry making new games for Facebook
work, other than the one you use to talk to users to play. There are other applications
your real friends, making a page for yourself though, and these apps are often a nice way to
might be a good idea! get messages across in an engaging way.
If you want to create a page for your Facebook sometimes gets criticised over
organisation, you can do so even if you aren’t privacy issues. It’s basically set up to
already logged in with your personal profile. encourage people to share a lot of information
Just click the link on the home page that says publicly. If you don’t want to do that, then make
“Create a Page for a celebrity, band or sure you take the time to go through the
business” - don’t worry if you are none of those privacy settings, and lock things down to make
things, there are other options! it work for you.
Branding
Make sure you get the naming and branding of
your page right, so people will want to engage
with it. If your organisation is part of a sector
that is considered a bit stuffy or dull, it might
be a good idea not to emphasise it. Pick a
name for your page so that people won’t feel You can find out how many people use
ashamed to be associated with it! Facebook in your area really easily - just start
the process to create an advert - but don’t feel
As a social network, Facebook offers you the need to finish it! You can really interrogate
various ways to get in touch with people. You the demographics, by choosing age ranges,
can send people email-like messages, or chat interests - even going as far as finding out how
live with them in a manner similar to instant many people support a certain football team
messaging. Alternatively, you can join and within a geographic area!
create groups along interest or location lines,
This quick guide was put together by Kind of Digital.
We provide strategic advice, training and technical development to help organisations open up and
make the most of the web - including social media tools like Facebook!
Find out more at kindofdigital.com or follow us on Twitter - @kindofdigital
Published under creative commons - feel free to redistribute and edit, but not for commercial gain.