Take control of your Facebook profile
When you join Facebook, you're joining a community with over two billion people spread around the globe. It helps to have the insight on not only how to set up your profile and add content, but also how to make sure you control who sees—and doesn't see—your posts. Facebook For Dummies provides the trusted guidance you need to set up a profile, add content, and apply the many tools Facebook provides to give you control of your content.
Primarily known as a way for individuals to share information, photos and videos, and calendar invitations, Facebook has gained prominence as a means to spread news, market products, and serve as a business platform. Whatever you’re looking to use it for, this book shows you how to use all the features available to make it a more satisfying experience.
- Build your profile and start adding friends
- Use Facebook to send private messages and instant notes
- Discover ways to set privacy and avoid online nuisances
- Launch a promotion page
Get ready to have a whole lot of fun on the largest social network in the world.
Introduction 1
About Facebook for Dummies 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Part 1: Getting Started with Facebook 5
Chapter 1: The Many Faces of Facebook 7
So What Is Facebook, Exactly? 8
Discovering What You Can Do on Facebook 10
Keeping in Mind What You Can’t Do on Facebook 15
Realizing How Facebook Is Different from Other Social Sites 17
How You Can Use Facebook 18
Chapter 2: Adding Your Own Face to Facebook 23
Signing Up for Facebook 23
Getting Started 25
What to Expect in Your Inbox 29
Your New Home Page 31
Adding More Friends 32
Filling out Your Profile Information 33
Chapter 3: Finding Your Way Around Facebook 35
Checking Out the Blue Bar on Top 36
Search 39
The Left-side Menu 40
Viewing News Feed 45
Right On 46
The Littlest Links 47
Part 2: Day-To-Day Facebook 49
Chapter 4: The Daily Facebook: News Feed and Posting 51
Your Daily News Feed 52
Trending 58
Interacting with News Feed 59
Adjusting News Feed 67
Sharing Your Own News 71
Chapter 5: Timeline: The Story of You 83
Scrolling Through Time 84
First Impressions 85
Telling Your Story 91
All About Me 100
Your Friends and Your Timeline 109
Chapter 6: Privacy and Safety on Facebook 111
Know Your Audience 112
Privacy on the Go 115
Privacy Shortcuts 117
Privacy Settings 119
Timeline Privacy 136
Privacy Tools 139
Remembering That It Takes a Village to Raise a Facebook 142
Peeking Behind the Scenes 143
One Final Call to Use Your Common Sense 145
Chapter 7: Facebook on the Go 147
The Facebook App 148
Facebook Messenger 178
The Facebook Family of Mobile Apps 184
Facebook on Your Mobile Browser 185
Facebook Texts 188
Part 3: Connecting with Friends on Facebook 191
Chapter 8: Finding Facebook Friends 193
What Is a Facebook Friend? 194
Adding Friends 195
Finding Your Friends on Facebook 198
Managing How You Interact with Friends 204
Chapter 9: Just between You and Me: Facebook Messages 213
Sending a Message 214
Message Options 220
The Chat Menu 224
Messenger Inbox 227
Messaging on the Go 232
Chapter 10: Sharing with Facebook Groups 233
Evaluating a Group 234
Sharing with a Group 237
Creating Your Own Groups 244
Group Dynamics 247
Being a group administrator 249
Part 4: What to Do on Facebook 257
Chapter 11: Filling Facebook with Photos and Videos 259
Viewing Photos from Friends 260
Adding Photos to Facebook 264
Editing and Tagging Photos 273
Working with Video 279
Discovering Privacy 282
Chapter 12: Buying, Selling, and Fundraising 285
Getting the Most Out of Marketplace 286
Belonging to Buy/Sell Groups 292
Fundraising for Causes 296
Chapter 13: Scheduling Your Life with Events 303
You’re Invited! 303
Public Events 306
Viewing Events 306
Creating Your Own Events 307
Managing Your Event 310
Chapter 14: Creating a Page for Promotion 313
Getting to Know Pages 314
Creating a Facebook Page 317
Sharing as a Page 323
Using Facebook as Your Page 330
Managing a Page 331
Insights: Finding Out Who Is Using Your Page 344
Chapter 15: Using Facebook with Games, Websites, and Apps 347
What Apps Need 348
Games on Facebook 350
Using Facebook Outside of Facebook 355
Mobile Apps and Facebook 358
Managing Your Games, Websites, and Apps 359
Part 5: The Part of Tens 365
Chapter 16: Ten Ways to Make the Most of Your Facebook Content 367
Remember the Past 367
Scrapbook Your Baby Photos 368
Say Thanks 369
Give Your Photos Some Flair 369
Review the Last Year (or Years) 369
Make your status stand out 370
Add Tags 370
Go Live 370
Use Stickers or GIFs in Your Messages 371
Friend-a-versaries 371
Chapter 17: Ten Ways Facebook Uniquely Impacts Lives 373
Keeping in Touch with Far-Away Friends 373
Preparing to Head Off to School 374
Going on Not-So-Blind Dates 374
Meeting People in Your New City or Town 375
Reconnecting with Old Friends 375
Keeping Up with the ’Rents or the Kids 375
Facebook Networking 376
Facebook for Good 377
Going to the Chapel 377
Hey, Facebook Me! 378
Chapter 18: Ten Frequently Asked Questions 379
Do People Know When I Look at Their Timelines? 380
I Friended Too Many People and Now I Don’t
Like Sharing Stuff — What Can I Do? 380
What’s with the New Facebook — Can I Change It Back? 381
I Have a Problem with My Account — Can You Help Me? 381
What Do I Do with Friend Requests I Don’t Want to Accept? 382
Why Can’t I Find My Friend? 383
Will Facebook Start Charging Me to Use the Site? 384
How Do I Convince My Friends to Join Facebook? 384
What If I Don’t Want Everyone Knowing My Business? 385
Does Facebook Have a Feature That Lets Me Lock Myself Out for a Few Hours? 385
Chapter 19: Ten Tips for Parents of Teens on Facebook 387
Talk to Teens about General Internet Safety 388
Beware of Strangers 388
Teach Teens How to Report Abuse 388
Teach Teens How to Block People 389
Learn to Use Privacy Settings 389
Talk about Posts and Consequences 390
Remember the Golden Rule 390
Respect Teens’ Boundaries 390
Don’t Send Friend Requests to Teens’ Friends 391
Make Space for Your Own Social Life, and Your Family Life, on Facebook 391
Index 393
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