Facebook
Face behind the screen
Drew, our very clever Webmaster, this week explains to us the ins and outs of Facebook, and how to make it work for you.
Most of us use the computer on a daily basis, and most of us will talk to people via forums or emails and will never see the face of the person at the other end. Over the past few years, this trend has changed with the introduction of the MySpace phenomenon and recently, this has extended to a new site named Facebook. Facebook is much like MySpace, but more advanced. Instead of having to contact all of your friends directly, when you create an account, it will be able to look up your e-mail address book and send all your friends an invitation to add you to their Facebook.
Facebook is not just about having a profile, letting the world see who you are and what you look like, it is also about reconnecting with old friends. The search function is really simple to use. In your profile you can include which school you went to and when you graduated, you can even search for people who finished in the same year if you want to - that is how advanced this website has become!
I will step you through how to set up your Facebook account for the first time, how to get that automated email sent to all your friends, show you how to setup your profile and how to join the AboutSeniors Facebook community site!
The first step is to visit the website. You will be prompted with a simple looking website with an easy to use registration in the bottom right of the page as seen below.
Simply fill out the following information and click signup. You will have to enter a security code that comes on the screen (this is to prevent spammers).
Once you have done this, you need to open your email address and click the relating link to activate your account. It will take you directly to the next page as seen below.
For example, as seen above, it will have your e-mail address already typed in, and a selection of e-mail providers in the drop down menu too choose from. Simply click “find friends” and it will send an e-mail to your friends who will be prompted to either join up or add you as a friend, alternatively, those friends who may have invited you in the past, in the next screen you will be prompted to add them to your Facebook!
Now that we have passed this step, it is time to setup our profile. You can use as little information as you like in this step, it all depends how much time you want to put into the profile. Click on the edit button shown below.
We will be prompted by a new screen, fill out all the following information and as seen in the next photo, there are different section tabs for us to click on once we save the changes. Make your way through each of the following until you have filled out all the information!
Now that we have set up your profile, it is time to add yourself to the AboutSeniors community! As seen below, the following bar appears on the left side of every page, click the “Groups” button.
Now you will be prompted to search for the group, as seen in the image below, type in AboutSeniors and hit the enter key on your keyboard to search for it (Do not hit create a new group).
Once you have done that, the only option that will appear will be our community group as seen below, click join group where the arrow points it out.
Now you have joined the group, you can browse all the members who have joined, post discussions and share photos!
Let us know how this works for you.
Fun on Facebook
The current new wave of online ‘friend’ sites are called social media for a reason. The best part about Facebook is the limitless social aspects which ironically make you feel as though you are surrounded by friends whilst alone at your computer.
However, the social side of Facebook can be hard to find, unless you know some shortcuts. Before beginning to talk about all the great features of Facebook which will enhance your social life, it is important to learn a trick which will shave minutes off your time at the computer, giving you more time to socialise.
Download the next installment in PDF form - Fun on Facebook.
A Beginners Guide to Facebook
Facebook. It’s the social networking website that has spawned a film, generates billions of dollars and every year is visited by users in every conceivable country around the world. Facebook has somehow still eluded some of Australia’s population because they simply don’t have the time, inclination or expertise.
Well, the team at YOURLifeChoices is here to help. Over the coming weeks we will be bringing you a four part series detailing every essential aspect of Facebook. We will turn you from a friendless Fred into a ‘Mark Zuckerberg’ within weeks. (that’s a Facebook reference, it essentially means beginner to expert!)
What is it?
You have heard about it in the news, your children and grandchildren punish your power bill by spending 25 hours a day on it, but what actually is Facebook?
The nucleus of Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerburg, a Harvard university student who created the website as a way for his fellow students to keep in touch and share information. What followed was one of the fastest media expansions in recent memory. Facebook began to snowball, and branched off into every single demographic, starting with teens and tweens, then moving into singles, wives, husbands, seniors, infants and pets. It killed the seemingly indestructible Myspace, spawned the ever popular Twitter, and even became a conduit for politicians to talk to their constituents.
The main reason to make the jump over to Facebook is the fantastic opportunities it provides us to communicate with families and friends. We can chat, network and communicate without the need to spend money on travel or telephone bills. At its simplest, Facebook is a website that allows people to connect with other people. Facebook gives you a webpage or a ‘wall’ all to yourself, and you use this to connect with people you want to talk to or are familiar with, a.k.a ‘friends’. You write, or ‘post’ on your own or other people’s wall, but more on that later.
Why bother with it?
Something this popular has to be good right? With nearly 500 million users worldwide, just think of the online community you would be joining! The global reach of Facebook is literally mind boggling, and Facebook and its creators are helping shrink the world, metaphorically, by helping people keep in contact with friends, family and acquaintances from every walk of life in every continent, from every generation. With this many users, there is a large chance that many people you know from all parts of your life are already using Facebook.
Most importantly, it’s free! And according to its webpage, always will be. This means you have no financial reason not to bother with this great site.
Also, there is the notion of being part of something. These days, social media is becoming just as important as television and print. Journalists take quotes from Twitter and Facebook feeds, politicians chat online with their constituents through Facebook, news is literally happening all the time online, through Facebook. As an added bonus to being in touch with friends and family, why not be a part of all the action?
If you are interested in setting up a Facebook Account and want to know how to make one, download YOURLifeChoices PDF, How to make a Facebook account.
While you are at it, join our Facebook Page!
Keep safe on Facebook
You don’t let strangers walk inside your house and look at your photo albums or listen to your phone conversations, so why would you let random people look at your Facebook updates, your photos and even your friends… protect them now!
There are those of us who are paranoid about our privacy on the internet who create 12 letter passwords including upper case letters and numbers, then there are those of us who use the same football team or family name as our passwords on each and every website and email account we own. No matter what your level of security is online, you should be concerned about your Facebook privacy levels, because anyone who finds their way to your Facebook page can see what you are writing, who your friends are and even your personal information if you have not updated your privacy status.
How to fix your privacy settings
Log into your Facebook account. In the top right hand corner is a box called “Account” with a drop down menu. Left click on “Account” and from the drop down menu, left click “Privacy Settings”.
On the left hand side you can choose from five different options: Everyone, Friends of Friends, Friends only, Recommended or custom. We are going to choose left click on Custom as we do not want Facebook telling us what they think we need!
Now if you move your cursor about two inches down to the right, you will see the words “Customise settings” as per the photo on our right. Left click this icon.
The following settings can be set up, as you like. I have listed below how I share each setting to keep a medium level of privacy. Once you have changed your settings, scroll back to the top of the screen and on the far right hand side there is a tab called “Preview My Profile”. This is how your profile will look to anyone looking at your profile for the first time. If you are happy with it then you are done! If you want to customise it more, click on “Back to Privacy Settings” and repeat the previous steps.
Things I share
Posts by me: Friends Only
Family: Everyone
Relationships: Friends Only
Interested in and looking for: Friends Only
Bio and favorite quotations: Everyone
Website: Everyone
Religious and political views: Friends of Friends
Birthday: Friends of Friends
Things others share
Photos and videos I’m tagged in: Friends of Friends
Can comment on posts: Friends of Friends (you may wish to change this to Friends Only)
Friends can post on my wall: Yes
Can see Wall posts by friends: Friends of Friends
Contact information
Mobile Phone: Friends Only
Other Phone: Friends Only
Address: Friends Only
IM Screen Name: Friends Only
Email: Friends Only
Farm fun online
Join 82 million active members worldwide, growing delicious fruit and vegetables and raising adorable animals on your very own virtual farm.
FarmVille is a Facebook game allowing members to manage a virtual farm by planting, growing and harvesting plants and trees and raising livestock. Each farm has a neighbouring farm and you can choose to set up next to a friend who is already playing or invite them to set up next to you!
Over one per cent of the worlds population play FarmVille, with more than 82 million active users recorded last month, amounting to 20 per cent of all the users of Facebook.
FarmVille is a fun game to take some time out from the real world and develop your own personal farm online with friends. So why not check it out?
Visit Facebook for more information.
Facebook boo boos
Facebook, everyone’s at it, even your local MP! While some may consider their posts as witty or clever, the danger of getting caught doing something you shouldn’t, should be enough to make you think twice about what you write on your wall.
Whether you sympathise or ridicule these Facebook fools who got more than they bargained for, it’s important to learn from their mistakes.
1. Love was in the air for Stuart Slann of Sheffield, who, after driving 400 miles to meet ‘Emma’, who he met on Facebook, was confronted by two rival football fans he met on holiday. Slann has since received 300 mocking e-mails a day since details of the hoax were posted on YouTube and Facebook.
2. The temptation to drive through a puddle and soak unsuspecting passengers waiting at a bus stop was just too much for a female motorist. After posting a video taken from inside the car of Facebook and YouTube, the woman has set herself up for possible prosecution.
3. Working in a call centre may be one of the world’s worst jobs and proved too much for Kyle Doyle, who pulled as sickie and bragged about it on Facebook. When challenged to proof his claim for sick leave was genuine, Doyle had the rug pulled from under him when bosses provided a screenshot of his Facebook profile.
4. Wanted for fraud charges in the US, fugitive Maxi Sopo thought he had escaped to Mexico without trace. Boasting about his new life in paradise, Sopo had apparently unwittingly added a former Justice Department official to his list of friends – making his capture all the more easy!
5. Surely the secret to a successful burglary is getting in and out as quickly as possible without detection? Unfortunately, 19-year-old Jonathan Parker not only booted up his Facebook page while looting a neighbour’s house but also forgot to log out, something which to his court appearance on burglary charges.
Want to learn more about social networking? Webmaster, Drew, has all the ins and outs of setting up a Facebook profile.
