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(A Note on) Facebook and Social Networking Sites
Although Facebook started out on college campuses in 2004,now anyone can join. It is a rapidly expanding socialnetworking site. Facebook has quickly become one of the mostvisited websites in the world, and many users check their Facebook page multiple times a day. Facebook is one of several social networking sites, including MySpace and LinkedIn (for professionals). It has outlived some of its earlier competitors like Friendster.As an organization, you can create a page that users can accessto find out more about you, to learn about upcoming events, tofind other fans of your organization, and to post messagesletting you know how great (or not, theoretically) you are.
What can it do for you?
Many organizations seem to believe that they can instantly reach a younger audience if they create aFacebook profile. A few cautionary words, then, may be appropriate. Just because someone is your Facebook fan does not necessarily mean they will visit your site or donate money. It is probably best tothink of Facebook as a way to cultivate relationships and announce events. Also, Facebook pages arenot static.
Unless you intend to maintain your page by checking in at least once a week to acceptfan requests, post items, or read through and respond to messages, then joining Facebook isprobably not for you.
Those caveats aside, however, Facebook is a great way to broadcast events such as exhibit openings andeducational programs, particularly programs targeted to young adult audiences. You can post articlesrelated to your organization’s holdings or general interests to develop awareness—and possiblyactivism—among your Facebook community. Many users may simply appreciate finding their localhistorical society or arts organization is also part of the “third space” they use everyday.
 How do users interact with it?
Users create profiles for themselves, usually detailing name, hometown, alma mater, likes or dislikes.Each user has his or her own page where they can post pictures, messages, articles they have read andwant to share, or membership in a group. Then the real fun begins—users find people they know (andsometimes people they would like to know) by searching for name, alma maters, interest, geographiclocation, or friends in common. Users “friend” someone they know; usually, that person has to accept or ignore a friend request. Once two users are friends, they can see a running and constantly updated feedon what their friends are up to: when new photos have been added, when relationship status changes,when they have joined or left groups, for instance.Users can set different privacy levels to control who can see what parts of their profile. For instance,someone may only want approved friends to be able to see her photos and message board, but maymaintain a basic profile of hometown and employer visible so that former classmates or colleagues canfind her.
Udated October 2010
 
Users can create events and invite friends to them. Event pages show information about who’s planningto attend, as well as place and time. Event message boards can allow prospective attendees to say whatthey plan to bring or ask questions about the event (ride sharing, for instance, or “what to pack” in thecase of an overnight event).Groups can be organized around just about any interest imaginable. Some are quite silly, but manyrelate to a cause or desired political or social outcome. Not only does membership in a group broadcastto a user’s friends his or her likes and dislikes, each group also has a page where group members canshare messages with each other, announce upcoming events of interest, and generally keep in touch withlike-minded individuals.As an organization, you can create a business page, not an individual’s account; users will become your fans rather than your friends. Facebook now has a special page with helpful instructions for nonprofits(see below). Fans can receive feeds of events and message board posts, just as they would with a friend,from your organization’s Facebook page. You can also post discussion topics, post videos and photos,and set up events for your organization through Facebook.Be mindful that even your fans can “hide” your organization’s announcements from appearing in their homepages. In other words, don’t update 20 times a day, no matter how excited you are about having aFacebook page at first. If your fans feel you are cluttering their regular stream, they may hide you, thusshort-circuiting all the work you’ve done to build an online audience in Facebook!
 How do you do it?
To create an official page for your organization, you must be a recognized representative of theorganization.Facebook has recently changed how institutions, including nonprofits, create accounts and pages. Youshould visithttp://www.facebook.com/nonprofits. We encourage you to read everything before starting, but if you’re really raring to go, click the “Get Started” tab. It may be helpful for you to “become a fan”of the Facebook Nonprofits page, as well, so that updates appear on your personal (or institutional)homepage.
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