By Chima M. Oleru
I can count on one
hand the number of people I know who DON’T have Facebook pages and still have
fingers to spare. With 850 million active users, Facebook has truly changed the
way people communicate. So if you’re just getting started or want to take your
social networking abilities to the next level, here are some tips for creating
great posts.
One of the easiest ways to make a Facebook post more interesting is to add media. All you have to do is click on the “photo” icon above the status bar to upload a photo or video, shoot one with your webcam (if your computer is equipped with one), or upload photos in bulk by choosing the create an album option. This is great if you want to upload multiple images, from say a birthday party or a vacation. Facebook gives you the option to label, date, and caption all your media — plus tag anyone who is in the photo or video, which really gets people’s attention!
Another
cool way to enhance a post is to include your location. Do this by clicking on
the “place” icon above the status bar, then click on the text that says, “where
are you?” You can type in pretty much anything — a store, a restaurant, a
theme park — chances are Facebook has heard of it, and it will pop up before
you’re even done typing. Cool. Now you share a photo of your favorite
donuts and let people know exactly where they can get their hands on one.
A
third way to enhance a post is to let your followers know about a “life event.”
Say you get a new job, buy a car, or start a relationship, just choose the
appropriate option from the drop down menu and the event will be recorded on
your timeline. Using the life event option makes it official and is a cute way
of keeping your friends in the loop about what’s happening in your world. I
know I love looking back over the past in my digital calendar, and now Facebook
timeline gives you that same nostalgia.
Links
are another great way to let people know what you’re reading, watching, or
creating. When you copy and paste a link into the status bar, it will magically
go from alpha-numerical gobbeldy-gook to a neatly labeled photo or video. You
can share anything from articles to photos, from a song you can’t get out of
your head to a talking dog video— and you can share them on your own wall, on a
friend’s wall (by tagging them) or even in the body of a comment— yet another
great way to start a conversation.
Now
here are a few things not to do. If you love Farmville or any other of
Facebook’s popular applications, be wary of sending out too many requests. You
may alienate friends who have no interest in these games and don’t want the
requests clogging up their notifications box. Another thing to avoid: T.M.I.
(or, too much information). Sometimes people get carried away with
comments that just shouldn’t be public (you know who you are). Use good
judgment before you hit, “post”. If you’re commenting on a photo from
your adult daughter’s work function, it’s probably best not to mention anything
about what it was like to potty train her. That picture may have thirty people
she works with tagged in it who are all now reading your charming yet
inappropriate story. Understanding privacy settings and being conscious of them
can help make sure your Facebook friends remain your friends in real life
(ahem).
Finally,
being a social network, Facebook is all about sharing. And just like in life,
the best way to make and keep friends is to listen as much as you talk.
Make sure to stop by your home page every now and again to read “likes” and
“comments” on the posts you’ve written and keep the dialogue going. Plus,
check your News Feed to make sure you’re up-to-date on what your friends are
posting, and leave them comments as well. It’s this kind of interaction that
makes Facebook fun.
