A much longer article could be written about Facebook, but I will just focus on the basics. My goal over the next few weeks/months is to provide you with information about all kinds of social media platforms. Things change so quickly, it’s hard to keep up, and if you have kids, you need to keep up. If you are a kid, then maybe there’s something here you don’t already know, and if you want to help us out, feel free to write a message in the comments.
Founded in 2004, Facebook is the world’s largest social networking site. Its premise is to connect people in a social setting, though it has branched out to revenue growing activities in sales and advertising.
The age limit, set by Facebook, is 13.
Facebook has a long list of limitations and rules. I didn’t read them all, but here are a few things, you might want to know:
One Account– Facebook doesn’t like for you to have more than one account. This also applies to accounts for your business. As an author, I can create a fan page from my personal account, but I am not allowed to have two separate accounts. Some people who have a business want to keep their personal account separate from their business account, the best way to do this is to create a PAGE from your main (personal) account, not create a whole new account. Facebook can ban you if they find out you’ve created several accounts regardless of your wonderful reasoning.
Approved Posts – Facebook is also particular about what is posted (kind of glad about this). Anything proprietary can and will be deleted from your wall. They also reserve the right to delete offensive material.
Facebook Ownership – Facebook does have rights to whatever you post in compliance to your security settings, so if you haven’t made something public, then they can’t take it and use it publicly. And technically they’re only given rights to use your material for their advertising. (However, I kind of think if you put it up there, they can use it.)
For more about Facebook rules and terms of use click the link: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms
Helpful Hints:
- Check your security settings often. Sometimes clicking on an App or just an update can change things up from what you’ve set, so periodically go in and check what your settings are.
- Most Apps ask for access to your information, so proceed with caution there. However, I found out today when I was snooping around that I had over 60 apps enabled. I NEVER click on Apps, so I can only figure that these little puppies got installed when I clicked on other things like “What Shakespeare character are you?” or “What’s your personality type?”
- Public, Friends of Friends, Friends Only – Facebook lets you have a lot of control over what other people can see (if you forget about the possibility that they technically own whatever you put up there), but you have to take the initiative and be vigilant, and it’s always good to remember that if you don’t want your mom to see it, don’t put it on Facebook. I keep a lot of my settings at “Everyone” or “Public,” and then if I want to put something up for just my friends to see I mark it for only friends before I post it. There’s a drop-down box right next to the “Post” button that lets you mark a single post for public, friends, or only me.
- Hiding/Blocking – If you have a friend clogging up your page with profanity or spam or cookie recipes, then you can hide them from your view without unfriending them or you can just unfriend them. If you block someone, they are automatically unfriended.
- Deleting your account – Deleting your account does not delete everything you’ve ever posted. It will still be available on friend’s walls (and in the FB database somewhere….)
Is Facebook for kids?
Well, word on the street is kids are moving away from Facebook (cause all the adults are there).
If you allow your kids to be on Facebook, be sure to have access to their account, check it regularly, and monitor their friends list. Facebook, like everything we allow into the lives of our children, should be watched. We have a responsibility to our kids to keep them safe, and that means keeping track of their cyber world. This rule pretty much goes for all social media sites your kids are on.
Predators and pornography are rampant on the internet, so leaving your kid alone with a computer in his room just isn’t a good idea.
(Maybe next week, I’ll cover how to set up the security settings on Microsoft…)
Is Facebook for Adults?
If it’s not, someone better let them know. The important thing to remember here (and I’m talking to the kids now) is that your parents can make some pretty big cyber mistakes, and it’s your job to help them find their way through all the clicking and posting. Make sure mom and dad know what you definitely do NOT want the world to hear about. And if you don’t want those naked baby pictures showing up, you better have a little talk about that too.
And don’t judge your parents by their number of friends or likes. You know that the numbers don’t define them. They are more than that.
Oh, and be vigilant. Grown ups click first and ask questions later. If your mom asks you for help, and she’s sitting in front of an open computer, stop what you’re doing and help her out. It could be the difference between a horrible virus and a Hoops and Yo Yo greeting card.
Facebook has a lot of wonderful qualities.
You can chat with friends whether they be at the other end of your couch (Niki) or in Germany. And all your chats are now saved in the messages section too.
You can stay up-to-date on the latest news (though somewhat skewed through the lens of your friends)
You can play games, advertise, and pontificate.
You can find old friends and classmates and reconnect.
And I’m sure there are more, but you get the idea.
I hope this was helpful.
Please add to this article with your own comments and wisdom. These posts reach people all over the world, so if you have a FB experience you’d like to share or some wisdom about Facebook, please put it in the comments!
I think this series is a GREAT idea (and I shall learn much from you, wise teacher!)
And chatting with a loved one from opposite ends of the couch is fantasticly fun – if we lived closer I would suggest we try it! 🙂
Thanks Niki! And I would definitely Facebook chat with you in my living room!
One thing I really like is the ability to create different lists. For example, I have a list just for my friends at work, so if I want to make a status that ONLY my work friends can see, I can do that 🙂
A complaint I have about Facebook and their “removal of offensive posts” is that they will often remove things that shouldn’t be offensive (like pictures of moms breastfeeding) but will leave pictures that objectify and sexualize women, even after I report said pictures. I hate that.
Hey! I didn’t know about the list thing on Facebook. I’ll have to check that out. Thanks.
I had a mean comment about your complaint and the people who make those decisions, but I’ll be nice and just say, “here, here!” Thanks for sharing!