Getting Around Your Facebook Profile Page

This is the third in a series on Social Media.

Your Profile Page is personal. Across the top is a search bar that lets you look for people you know. To help you tour your new profile are little arrows that say 1 Bio, 2 Photos, 3 Navigation, 4 Education and Work, and 5 Interests. When you click on an arrow, a small box appears telling you what to do.

Below the arrows are two columns. The left-hand column is topped with your photo, followed by these links:

• The Wall is where your all of your posts are stored. (Your friends' posts can be seen on their profiles.) When friends want to send you a message they write on your wall.
  
• Info is your background—education, work history, philosophy, political leanings—anything you are willing to share.
  
• Photos are links to all of your photo albums. When you post photos your friends can see them on your Profile Page.
  
• Notes (on my page) are my forwarded blogs.
  
• Friends are pictures of all of your Facebook "friends."
  
• At the bottom of the column is a link to Add a Badge to your site. There are several categories of badges to choose from. Just click on the one(s) you want.
  

In the second column, after the word Share, are the following links:

• Status is the place to bring friends up to date on your life.
  
• Photo allows you to share a photo, add a photo, or create an album.
  
• Link is a box in which you can direct viewers to another URL.
  
• Video tells you to record or upload a video.
  

On my Profile Page are forwards from my blogs, as well as the most recent photos I have posted. At the bottom of the page are comments from friends who have looked at my profile page.

Getting Around Your Facebook Home Page

This is the second in a series of blog posts about social media.

Facebook can be overwhelming without a map or step-by-step instructions on how to navigate the pages and links. When you log in to Facebook, you are on your Home Page, where you will see banners, columns, and links that provide information or lead you to other pages. This post is a map of your Home Page.

Across the top of your Home Page is a blue bar. Reading from left to right, you will see the word Facebook, three little icons, Search, Home, Profile, and Account. The icons are:

1. Friend requests from people who want to be your friends (You will also find this elsewhere on the page).
   
2. Messages are from people who are your friends and want to hear from you.
3. Notifications alert you to people who have written on your Wall (more about that later).
   

Under the blue bar, there are three columns. Working your way down the left-hand column are your picture, your name, Edit My Profile, News Feed, Messages, Events, Friends, Create a Group, App Requests, Ads and Pages, and Friends on Chat. It is easy to get lost in all of these links. Here is a quick rundown:

• Edit my Profile takes you to your profile page, which contains as much information as you wish to include about yourself.
  
• News Feed shows you what people in your network (friends) have posted. You can also view these posts in the middle column.
• Events list friends' events, birthdays, and occasions that have already taken place (so you know what you missed).
  
• Friends is a repeat of people who want to join your network, as well as recently updated profiles.
  
• To Create a Group on Facebook, just click this link and fill in the blank.
  
• App Requests are add-ons to Facebook that help you connect to other people. There are also lists of your own apps and those of your friends.
• Ads and Page allows you to set up a page for your business or book. Your Page differs from your personal profile in that it is strictly for professional purposes.
  
• Friends on Chat alerts you to who is available for instant messaging. If you send that friend a message, he or she will probably respond.
  

In the middle column there is an announcement about your New Profile and a link to Learn More about it. Under that, in a white bar, are News Feed, Top News, Most Recent, Share: Status, Photo Link, and Video. The rest of the column is devoted to what your friends are doing and saying in each of those catagories. If you have many friends, that can keep you reading all day.

• News Feed, Top News, and Most Recent all take you to friends' posts and provide a place for you to post your comments.
• Share: Status has a box for you to fill in your news, thoughts, or comments; Photo allows you to post a photograph or create an album; Link lets you insert a link to a URL; and Video is the place to record and upload a video.
  

The column on the right begins with Events and See All, which shows all events your friends are planning and a place for you to enter your own event. Under that is Find More Friends and pictures of people who have found many of their friends through Friend Finder. Finally, there are five headings: Sponsored, Create an Ad, Requests, Pokes, and Get Connected.

1. Sponsored is for paid ads others have posted.
   
2. Create an Ad is a fill-in form to place your own ad.
   
3. Requests is another way to see friend and application requests.
   
4. Pokes are short notes from friends who ask you to "poke back."
   
5. Get Connected helps you find friends who are Facebook, are not on Facebook, or are here because of you. It also explains how to connect with others on your mobile device.
   

You can see how the many ways to connect and communicate might seem like a maze if you are new to Facebook. Just remember the purposes of this fastest-growing social media site. It's all about making connections, networking, and showcasing your business. and, you can do it all on your Home Page.

The Friends of Bobbi Bookshelf

I have a shelf in my bookcase for books written by friends, with a special section for those I played a role in bringing to fruition. In some cases, I was a book coach; in others, an editor; and in a few, a ghostwriter. The number of books on my shelf is growing, which thrills me. When there were only a few, I would pack them all up and take them to my classes to use as examples of everything from great design to self-publishing disasters. These days I have to spend a lot of time choosing the perfect books from my growing stash.

I am so proud of the authors who took their wonderful books from concept to completion and would like to introduce some of them to you.

Kim Wolterman (pictured above at her book launch) is the author of Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed(room)? Researching a St. Louis County Missouri Home*, which is hot off the press. This book is a step-by-step guide to removing the frustration and putting the fun into researching the history of any home. An indefatigable researcher, house historian, and multi-talented quilter and artist, Kim is also an EzineArticles.com expert author on house history research.

Dressing Nifty After Fifty: The Definitive Guide to a Simple, Stylish Wardrobe* is the brainchild of Corinne Richardson, a retired attorney who writes extensively, consults with clients, and hosts workshops on the many ways to simplify and organize one’s life and possessions. Dressing Nifty After Fifty shows women how to create the ideal, quintessential wardrobe that works 24-7.

From Red Star To Spangled Banner: My Journey to Become a True American* by Dale Attila Fogarasi is a 30-year odyssey that takes the author of this moving memoir from Communist-ruled Hungary to Mark Twain’s America. Retired after a 50-year career at Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, Dale’s intensely personal saga chronicles his life between the ages of 17 and 47, when he became a citizen of his adopted country.

* Just a coincidence or uniformly good taste? Whatever the reason, these three books were all designed by book designer extraordinaire, Peggy Nehmen.

Pamela J. Vaccaro, MA, CSP, is a professional speaker, former history teacher, and nationally recognized resource on managing time and attention. Beyond The Ice Cream Cone: The Whole Scoop on Food at the 1904 World’s Fair combines Pam's love of food history with culinary memorabilia and showcases her talent as a researcher and writer.

It’s Your Life, Choose Well: Thoughts on living a happier, healthier, saner life now—not someday, by Kathleen Keller Passanisi, is a collection of gentle, mental nudges designed to help readers make simple, pleasurable choices that can improve their physical, mental, emotional, social, vocational, and spiritual health. Kathy is a seasoned health care professional, an internationally recognized speaker and humorist, and a lifetime achievement award winner in therapeutic humor.

There are more books in the works by my friends and favorite writers. As soon as the ink is dry, there will be a follow up to this blog post.