Facebook is still arguably the most important social media around. In our ongoing quest to become competent on social media, it’s important not to overlook the beginning steps. To use Facebook, you must first have an account. This is how. 🙂
1) Go to Facebook’s home page and sign in. It’s up to you, but I never give out my real birthday. Identity theft is a valid concern.
And if you’ve already entered your birthday and want to change it, you still can. Here’s a post: https://www.facebook.com/help/563229410363824 which is titled: How do I change my birthday and choose who I share it with?
2) They’ll ask to go through your contacts looking for friends. Again, it’s up to you, but I skipped that step. Maybe I should have done it, but I’m using this account for writing contacts, not personal stuff.
3) Then they’ll ask you about sports teams, music, books, etc. The only one I filled out was books, but it was rather frustrating, as it wasn’t as nearly as well done as the suggestions on goodreads. Because I admitted to reading a Tom Clancy novel, they stuck me in thrillers, which I’m not actually that widely read in. Even though I picked The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, they didn’t run much fantasy by me. They wanted to know about all my Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes reads, though.
4) Then you’ll have to authenticate with your email. Because I have gmail, they wanted to link to my google accounts, which was fine.
5) 
At that point, you’re set. Connect with your blog contacts, leave messages for them, and share snippets with friends.
A cautionary note: Many people have posted things they later regretted. A story was on Yahoo a few years back about a teacher who was fired for posting a picture that showed her drinking a glass of wine on vacation. Some employers want to see your Facebook page when you apply for a job.
Have fun with it, but be careful, too.
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Avid writer and reader of Faerie tales and noblebright fantasy.
Cathleen Townsend 
Excellent tips for authors and others, Cathleen. Sharing… 🙂
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Thanks, Bette. 🙂
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I’ve started setting up separate FB pages for my writing, but it’s becoming quite complicated. FB wants me to post to them often, maybe weekly, which is just about impossible. Sigh.
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It just so happens I’ve got a couple posts coming on this very topic. 🙂
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Cathleen, thanks for explaining this process. I have a FB page so I can stay connected to friends and family who live elsewhere. I’m sorry I gave them so much info when I started that page and I refuse to complete the personal bits section. But it’s made me a bit nervous to add another page even if only for promoting my blog and my writing. Just not comfortable with a platform that wants to exploit me for their purposes.
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Well, coming up, I’ll explain the difference between a profile and a page (what you’ve got is likely a profile). What you probably want to add is an author page.
But in either case, you don’t need to tell anyone your real birthday. My compromise was this: online I give people my name saint day. It’s something special to me, and I celebrate it, so it didn’t feel like a cheat. Or you can pick the day you wish was your birthday. I’ve always thought the Fourth of July would be a nifty birthday if you live in the US.
And it’s not too late if you’ve already entered your birthday. Here’s a post: https://www.facebook.com/help/563229410363824 which is titled: How do I change my birthday and choose who I share it with?
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Thank you for the help – very much appreciated.
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Good advice on how to set up a Facebook page, and also on using caution when posting.
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Thanks so much, Ann. 🙂
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