Facebook

**What is Facebook?**
Facebook is simply a web tool used by many users to get in touch with each others (high school-aged and older). The networking medium consists of a Profile page which is used to display information about the user, a Home page where news feeds from friends are updated constantly, and Facebook allows users to add applications (ones made by Facebook and created by others; one of applications allows users to upload an unlimited number of photos). Security settings can be modified to change the way an application behaves and to only allow friends to see the Profile page.

Facebook started out as a simple social-networking website for use only within Harvard University in 2004. The creator, [|Mark Zuckerberg] (at that time he was a student at Harvard) expanded the usage to all the Ivy League schools in the USA. As the popularity grew, Mark left school and found two co-founders. Soon everyone in a school system were able to connect with one another and eventually this tool was available to everyone in the world (and in various languages, not just English). The name has had one change in its short history of only 5 years (thefacebook ---> facebook) and Zuckerberg bought the domain facebook.com for [|$200,000].
 * A Short History**

Signing up for Facebook is extremely simple.
 * Getting your very own Facebook account**
 * 1) go to [|Facebook's site]
 * 2) fill in the boxes with your full name, password (please, don't use //password// as your password!), email, gender, and birthday

Your birthday is needed for needed for security reasons and for "preserving the integrity of the site". Don't worry, this can be easily removed from your public profile view (among your friends should you make it only viewable to your friends only).

...**start by adding friends from your contact list, or find them via the "Search" box on the top right. However, do be careful when adding friends using the Search function since many people do have the same name and sometimes they do not display their full name, making it harder to find people.
 * Once you have an account...

At the same time, you should beef up your profile page. You can type in information on various aspects of you: interests, favourite books, movies, and tv shows, education and work, political and religious views, and your favourite "Pages" and groups. Pages are profile pages that are dedicated to a numerous topics including celebrities, products, and concepts. Facebook users can gather with others and join "Groups" for a common topic, similar to a "Page". By doing this, you communicate and share opinions with others in an easy manner.

[|Settings] on Facebook is divided into 3 major components: Go to [|All Facebook] page to learn about the "10 Privacy Settings Everyone Should Know".
 * Settings**
 * Account-deals with the Facebook account directly (e.g. name, password, privacy in general, email account, option to deactivate account)
 * Privacy-deals with the options available on Facebook as an online tool (e.g. profile options, search features, news feed & wall, apps in gen.)
 * Application-deals with specific restrictions regarding apps; allows users to limit the transfer of info to app, and to 'friends' as streams.

You will be directed to the Home page where all the live feeds from your friends' profile pages and events are listed. Since it is a live stream, the feeds are updated constantly, even if you don't reload the page. You would be able to see other friends talk to each other, watch newly uploaded videos or photos or see what your friends are up to. At the Face banner at the top, you would see several links:
 * Once You Log In**
 * Home-main page where all feeds are taken to
 * Profile-your very own Facebook profile page where everyone goes to to talk and learn about you
 * Friends-comprehensive list of your friends, can be grouped
 * Inbox-Facebookers can communicate via 'mail' style (ie. messages are not public, it's only viewable between the sender and receiver(s))

Your main Profile page consists of at least the Wall, Info, and Photo tabs as default (plus the Boxes and 'more' tabs). The Wall tab is where your friends can communicate with you whether it is posting comments, photos, 'liking' a comment, video, photo, etc. The Info tab is where all the personal information you want to show off to your friends is typed. The Photo tab allows quick access to those once-in-a-lifetime moments pictures to be found quickly and in an organized manner. The Boxes tab works in conjuction with other applications where their application 'box' would be placed here as directed by the user and the 'more' tab (represented as a '+' symbol) allows users to access other applications.
 * Composition of Profile Page**

You can also take a look into [|applications]. All sorts of applications can be found via Facebook and users can usually find something that they like. Some applications can teach users certain things, and allow you to play games against an AI or your friends, store music files and playback them, chat with friends (rather than write on someone's wall or poking them), and much more. You can even keep track of your Guitar Hero scores and share blogs so everyone is updated with the latest.
 * Applications**

The Chat function on Facebook works just like MSN-only that you would not need to install any programs as it is an online tool. You would be able to talk to anyone on your friends list that has added the Chat function. The tool also lets you know how many are available on chat. You can also go unavailable on Chat but remain on Facebook.
 * Chat**

The organization of Facebook is consistent throughout all of its users since the ability of where you put certain applications is limited. The template is set in stone and only minor changes can occur (esp the Profile page where the "Information" box can only be placed on the left side). Recently, Facebook developers have [|redesigned] the template and its associate pages into a more contemporary look.
 * Template**

As of June 13, 2009 Facebookers can pick a [|username] (**be warned**: if chosen, it remains permanent; it __cannot__ be edited, changed, transferred, or removed once it's in effect) than will be automatically added in this URL format: [|www.facebook.com/username]. This format allows users to easily locate others. Vanity URLs is vital for social networking users because of its organizational aspect and its ability to make life easier.
 * New URL Feature!**

You need to explore around FB and look for applications and try different things and look into your friends' profile pages. This is the purpose of Facebook and users need to use it effectively to get most of their experience with Facebook. Facebook has, over the few years, become the world's main source of networking and it is not just used by ordinary high school or university students; teachers, and people of high-rank positions in businesses also use Facebook to communicate with others. Facebook is, afterall, an online networking tool.
 * Making Most Out of FB**

//to log out... //**
 * Remember: