Pamela Vanden Bos

        Did you know that 250 million people utilize the Facebook website to find and connect with friends and family? I strongly believe that you’ll know at least one of these good people, and perhaps even a few of the bad ones. If you have access to a computer, and have a viable e-mail account, you can sign-up on Facebook. It’s free. 

Facebook Page: Go to Facebook.com and register. In about one minute, you will receive a message that verifies your e-mail address, thus, completing the opening setup requirements. 

Home Page: The home page always defaults with an open box waiting for you to write…‘what’s on your mind’. After you enter your thoughts into this box and click the share button. Once it’s published, it becomes public. Note: Your comment will show up on ALL of your Facebook friend’s home page for them to read, enjoy, and comment. 

Message Thread: After you publish what is on your mind, several of your friends may comment. Anytime an additional comment is added, everyone, who has ever made a comment to that original message, is included in this thread of conversation, which can extend to hundreds of friends of friends of friends.   

Profile Page: This is where you have several different tab options, Wall-to-Wall conversations, changing your personal information, or creating photo albums. Note: Wall-to-Wall conversations are not private, e-mail address or personal information may be edited at anytime and anyone can snatch your photos by simply pulling them over to their desktop, one at a time. If you want a copy of a friend’s complete album, use the link at the bottom their album page. 

Inbox Tab:  Here is where you would compose a private message to a Facebook friend.  Although it is considered private between the sender and receiver, Like Oprah says, “don’t write anything you would not be willing to have published in the New York Times”. You’ve been warned! 

Friends Tab: This is how you can view your recently added friends, invite friends or find friends. You can find and request someone to be your Facebook friend by searching with his or her name, school, employer or email address. 

Hide Friends: On your home page, you will see an option to hide a conversation. You would use this option if one of your friends tends to chat often, or write messages 24/7.  Just click on hide it when it gets on your nerves, you can always view this friend’s banter later, by simply clicking unhide at the bottom of the home page.  

More acronym shortcuts: BS-Big Smile, OTP-On the phone, INMP–It’s not my problem, BTDTGTS-Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. 

     I don’t know a better way to find or keep in touch with friends and family. Who knows, you may even find a long lost love. I did!