Becoming a “friend” of Facebook.

By Anita Nath

The age of social media is upon us. For many, this extreme change can be overwhelming and very confusing. Facebook is a great tool to keep you connected, once you get the hang of it. Even for us so-called “Facebook kids,” some things are just downright confusing.

Facebook is a free online networking and connection site. You create a profile and can control how much information other Facebook members can see about you. To get started, all you need is an e-mail address.

Head to www.facebook .com. It is pretty simple to sign up and all that is essentially required is a name and e-mail address. Once you begin the sign-up process, Facebook guides you through setting up your Profile. You can provide as much information as you want. You can also choose to add a picture of yourself or a picture of anything you wish to post to your page.

Once you have set up your profile, you can search for people and organizations to become “friends” with. Use the search bar at the top of your Facebook page. To find someone, simply type in their name or e-mail address and click search. Then once you find the person or organization, simple click “Add as friend” or “Like.” This will send a personal request to that person or organization to be connected to your page.

Once connected, you can communicate by posting and commenting on what is known as the “wall.” With a Facebook page, you have a “wall” area and also a “news feed" area. On your “wall,” you can post a comment about anything, post a link to another website, or post pictures and information that is important to you. On the “news feed” your friends will be able to see what you posted on your “wall.” You will also be able to see the postings of your friends and of the organizations you have become connected with, on your personal “news feed.”

If you run into any kind of trouble, the Facebook Help section is very user-friendly and searchable. You could type in a question in the help section, such as “How do I post a Link?” and it will give you great directions.

Facebook is a another tool when it comes to staying informed. Many organizations and groups (including PSARA!) post about important topics and upcoming events. Once you have a Facebook account, you will be able to see all of these posts on your news feed. Even if you only log into your Facebook account once a week, you will still be able to see many of the past updates. Also, when someone wants to become friends with you, you will get an e-mail notification sent to the e-mail address you provide. This is helpful if you do not frequent the Facebook site.
Privacy is always a concern when being active on the internet. Facebook has many privacy options that you can utilize. To work with your privacy settings, simply login to Facebook and click on “account” in the upper right corner. This will allow you to access your personal privacy settings where you can determine how much to share.

If you are interested in Facebook, use the instructions in this article to get you started. Once you have a Facebook account , be sure to add PSARA by searching for “Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans” in the search bar and give it a thum

bs up once you go to the page. Give it a try. It sure helped the Egyptian people!