Even if it is now a rather unlikely fact, it is still possible that we know someone who has not yet given up signing up on Facebook. Maybe for many this guide will be useless, but since I know many people who still use Facebook as if it were a foreign tool and with excessive prudence and fear for their privacy.
For those who use Facebook at a beginner level, it is worth losing 5 minutes in this post to learn more about the various aspects and basic functions.
In summary, here are described and explained the basic points of Facebook for beginners and for those who find it difficult to find the numerous settings .
As in a refresher course, we see, point by point, the fundamentals of Facebook, its main features, policies and rules.
Even the most experienced users, looking at Facebook with beginner's eyes, will be able to give their opinion on the most popular socilal network in the world.
First of all, I recommend reading the guide to sign up for Facebook, register a new account and create your profile .
Immediately after the registration and the basic profile creation, read on:
1) The Timeline (Diary)
Before starting the search for friends, it is important to complete the Diary which is the personal profile page.
The Diary requires you to upload a profile photo and a large cover photo, outline your work history and relationships (optional).
It is called Diary, because on the page it is possible to include information, important goals achieved and memories that embrace all life.
To learn how to use the Timeline, see the guide to settings and visibility of the new Diary profile .
Some ideas and web applications can be used to create the Facebook profile cover.
2) Friends
After filling in a part of the timeline, start the search and add a few friends.
The chances that many of the colleagues, family members, schoolmates and neighbors are already enrolled are very high, therefore searching for them will be very easy thanks to the automatic function of friends' suggestions.
There are many people who do not want to be seen by old comrades or colleagues but I strongly recommend not to be shy and not to fear anything because with the privacy settings you can add a person without ever interacting with him (if you don't want to).
In another post, the guide to find friends on Facebook, new contacts with common interests, for friendship or dating
3) News
Finding friends on Facebook is important, not only to connect with them but also to stay updated on their latest news, thoughts, activities .
To access this information, just go to the Home page and read the news that are sorted by chronology and popularity.
In the news section there is everything: status updates of friends, new photos, links to articles, etc.
One of Facebook's most recent changes has been sorting the news through an algorithm that decides which ones to place on the top.
If you prefer to see things in chronological order, simply select the "Order" option at the top of the page and select Latest instead of Main News
4) The status update
A status update is a message that is shared in your diary and that becomes visible to friends, part of them or to all publicly depending on your preferences.
Through a status update, you can communicate your current activity or where you are (through a "check-in"), or you can post a link to an interesting article or site, share photos and videos and even create a poll.
You can create a status update both from the news section and from the top of the Timeline.
Each person has their own style of writing, you can write a note as long as this article or you can write short messages.
In general, it is better to avoid being "spammy", that is, to write every single activity or thought that goes into your head, thus avoiding being boring.
Facebook is now a space for sharing valuable information with the aim of promoting conversation so it is not convenient to write stupid things or useless facts.
To get some laugh, you can read the satirical article on Facebook stereotypes.
5) Brands, organizations and companies
Although friends are an important part of Facebook, they are not the only entities with which you can interact.
The brands are represented by pages that represent not people but organizations, companies, companies, fanclubs, places or other .
Companies like Coca-Cola and Disney but also small companies use Facebook to engage, share and seek feedback from consumers and enthusiasts.
Following the pages can be interesting to receive updates and promotions from companies.
In this regard, I therefore invite you to become a Fan of Navigaweb on Facebook by clicking on the "Like" button to receive updates on this blog directly from the homepage news.
6) The "Like" button
One of Facebook's most powerful and valuable tools is the "Like" button which can be seen on almost all websites (some use the word "Recommend").
It communicates to friends the appreciation or support of the activities, brands, articles read.
The "Like" button is also inside Facebook for almost any type of content: status updates, photos, comments, pages, applications and advertisements.
When you press "Like" outside of Facebook.com, the liked element also appears in your Diary, where friends can comment on the activity.
On the other hand, keep in mind that Facebook tracks activities and "Likes" to "improve the quality" of the ads on the site and Facebook can share this behavioral data with third parties (anonymously).
7) The TAGs
TAG on Facebook means mentioning another Facebook user in a photo, status update, check-in or comment .
When you tag someone in a photo, the user will receive a notification, and the tagged photo will appear on his Timeline (provided that he has not disabled the tagging function).
The TAG tool fosters conversation and creates further connections between users: If I want my mother to go to see an article that I posted on Facebook, I can tag her by typing her name in the post.
Check-in and photo tags work slightly differently: you can say "I'm here at the XYZ bar with Claudio Pomhey" while in the photos you can find the option to tag people by identifying them, with the options below.
It is important to remember that everyone has different preferences when it comes to tagging: Some people can immediately view the content in which they were tagged and subsequently remove them by refusing the quote, perhaps because they do not like the photo or because they do not want to be seen in that 'image.
Tag settings and control is in the Privacy settings section.
8) Privacy
You could write a whole book on Facebook privacy but, in this case, I will be very concise.
You are friends with the Facebook office manager "> how to group Facebook friends into lists)
The public profile, that is, visible to everyone, friends and otherwise, can be controlled in all respects.
Almost all profile features have an edit option, which allows you to select who can view the published information.
Application access: some external applications require access to parts of the profile to work and can publish to the diary.
In the settings -> applications section, you can change the privacy for each application.
Facebook privacy can be complicated so I really recommend, for a better experience and not leave anything to chance, the guide to privacy settings and what friends and strangers see about me on Facebook .
9) The applications on Facebook
Facebook applications allow you to customize and improve participation in the social network.
They can add anything from games (FarmVille) to photo albums, quizzes, to music.
Most of the Facebook applications come from external developers who use the Facebook API.
Activating each Facebook app grants it permission to access profile data and to publish on behalf of the user.
Warning: well-made apps can add a lot of fun and and expand the Facebook experience, but some can hide scams and viruses.
We always recommend using only the applications recommended by friends you trust or those provided by reputable companies and be careful of virus applications.
10) Subscribe and follow updates from non-friends
On some profiles, the " Follow updates " function can be enabled.
The feature is particularly useful for following celebrities, journalists and other public figures who wish to interact with fans without granting them access to their private profile.
For example, on my profile there is the "Follow updates" button which does not require my confirmation.
Those who follow my updates will be able to read everything that is published by me in the diary with Public setting.
All about this feature is in the article How to follow non-friends on Facebook with the "Get updates" button.
11) Facebook Mobile for mobile
Facebook has created a mobile application to use the social network from any type of mobile phone.
The application has a reduced news section and all the other features: chats, applications, photos, status updates and so on.
The main feature of mobile Facebook is "check-in."
From a mobile phone it is possible, with Facebook, to share your position at any time to say where you are, in which street, in which square, place or restaurant and also to search for people, friends and not, nearby.
In another article, all the ways to access Facebook from mobile and chat
After following these instructions you should become fully familiar with Facebook and you can move on to the guide with Facebook functions for experts .
