A Beginner's Guide To Facebook: Learn The Basics Of Facebook
By Susan Ng
Are you thinking of joining Facebook? Or are you new to Facebook and are now staring at Facebook's homepage thinking: What the hell to I do now? Then this article is just what you need to learn the basics of Facebook. You'll be connecting with your friends in no time.
The first thing you'll probably want to do is upload a profile picture. You can do that easily by clicking on the link that appears when you hover your mouse over the space for your profile pic. Once you've done that, you are ready to tackle Facebook.
THE MENU BAR
The menu bar is located at the top of every page. It contains four items on the left side: Home, Profile, Friends, and Inbox. Let's run through each of these briefly.
By default, Facebook takes you to your Home page when you log in so that's probably where you are right now. It's where you will find your friends' activities, that is if you have friends already. Your Profile page is where you will find all your stuff on Facebook. It's also where you will find your "wall", which is a Facebook term that you're going to be hearing a lot of from now on. Your Friends page is, of course, where you will find a list of your friends and where you can search for other people who you would like to be your friend. Your Inbox, well, I don't think I need to tell you that it contains mail that you receive or send to friends.
Now that you know that you can navigate between these pages using the menu bar, let's discuss each page in detail.
Your Home Page
Your home page has five major components: News Feed, Filters, Requests, Suggestions, and Highlights. (See figure below.)
- News Feed. Here you will see all your friends' activities on Facebook. Wall posts, uploaded photos or videos, posted links, etc. If you want to know what your friends have been up to, this is the place to go.
- Filters. You can create filters so you can manage how you see your friends activity on your homepage. You can do that once you already have many Facebook friends.
- Requests. Any request or invitation that you receive, such as friend requests and application invitations, will appear here. (More on Facebook applications later.) Clicking on an invitation gives you the option to Accept, Ignore, or Block.
- Suggestions. Facebook suggests friends, groups or pages that it thinks you may know or be interested in. It will appear in this space.
- Highlights. This area shows things like pictures your friends have commented on, videos they have liked, etc. It also contains links that enable you to "join in the fun" your friends are having.
Your Profile Page
Your profile page is your own "personal space" on facebook. It is where your friends will find your profile picture or avatar, your friends list, applications widgets, and your tabs. By default, there are two tabs when you sign in: Wall and Info. Later when you start uploading photos or videos, corresponding tabs will appear next to the Wall and Info tabs. (See figure below.)
- Wall. The wall is your main "space" on Facebook. Just like on a real wall, you and your friends (if you choose to let them do so) can "write" on this wall by using the What's on your mind? box right below the tabs.
- Info. The basic information you typed in when you signed up for Facebook can be found in your Info tab. You can add or remove data at any time.
- Other Tabs. Additional tabs such as Photos, Videos, Boxes, Notes, etc. may appear once you have used these internal applications. Once you've uploaded a profile picture, for example, the Photos tab will already be visible.
Your Friends Page
Clicking on Friends in the menu bar takes you to a page where you can find your other friends who might also be on Facebook. You can choose to find people through your email address or simply use the Search for People option also in the Friends page. Once you already have some friends, you can see all of them by clicking on All Friends in the filter located at the upper left corner of the page.
Your Inbox
You can have a "conversation" with one of your friends by sending them mail. I say "have a conversation" because your replies are appended to the original message and you can see the full history of the conversation in a single thread.
A circle with a number on it beside the word "Inbox" on your menu bar indicates that you have new mail, the number in the circle corresponding to the number of new messages you got.
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Chat
You can also talk to your friends through the Chat feature in Facebook. You'll see the button for it on the lower right corner of the page. Clicking on it brings up a menu with friends who are available for chatting. So what's the difference between the inbox and chat? Chat conversations are lost once you sign out of Facebook, mail in your inbox stays there until you manually delete it.
I should also mention that you can turn off chat if you don't feel like it. Just click on Chat > Options > Go Offline. Going offline doesn't sign you out of Facebook, it just makes you unavailable for chatting.
Applications
Basically, there are two types of applications or apps for short: those that were created by Facebook and those made by third-party developers. The internal Facebook applications include Notes, Photos, Links, and Video. Third-party applications include games, quizzes, etc. I've talked about my favorite third-party Facebook apps here.
Where do you find Facebook apps? Click on Applications on the lower left corner of the page and select Browse More Applications.
Bookmarks
Right beside the Applications button I mentioned above are your bookmarks. By default, you should see icons for Photos, Links, and Notes along with some others. Hovering your mouse on them shows a description of each icon.
You use bookmarks as shortcuts to where you want to go. I should mention though that clicking on the bookmarks will bring you to a recent activities page. For example, if you click on the icon for Photos, it doesn't bring you to your photo albums, it shows you the recent photo albums of your friends. From there you can go to your photo album by clicking on the My Photos link at the top of the page. The same applies for the other bookmarks.
Notifications
See that small icon that looks like a signboard? That's where all notifications can be found. Facebook notifies you if your friends post something on your wall, comment on your uploaded photos, etc. When you see a red bubble with a number on it, it means there's been some new development. So aside from watching your inbox, you'll also want to keep an eye on those notifications for friend updates.
Settings
Hovering your mouse on the Settings button on the upper right side of the page, you'll see three options: Account Settings, Privacy Settings, Application Settings.
You can change your real name, email address, password, etc. through Account Settings. Privacy Settings allows you to create different levels of privacy. For example, you can set certain information to be viewable by selected friends only. Application Settings allow you to control how applications behave. Just have fun and experiment with these options.
A Word of Caution
Once you begin connecting with friends and doing applications, Facebook can be quite addictive. Watch out for the signs and symptoms of Facebook addiction as shown in this short, funny video:
Comments
Hehe... could that be the early onset of Facebook Addiction, Uninvited Writer? :D And thanks. :)
I have a facebook account but not so active on it yet. Maybe I should try the apps. =) Thank you for sharing this, haven't been exploring on facebook yet.
Hi, Charia. :) I forgot about Facebook for several months after I joined because I didn't know how to use it. Now I seem to have become addicted. Haha! :D
I didnt I got bannned but I have been allowed back, as if I would throw you overboard ; )
Glad you found your way to my hub, BadCo. :) Just one question: Do Captains do Facebook? Hehe... :P
Wow...what a comprehensive guide. :-)
Hehe. This is for all the new people I've invited. :)
Very thorough. I have a friend on fb that I blocked messages on the wall for, but now I see they aren't posting every 5 minutes I want re-add them, but can't find the way to do it. I looked for the filter app and looked through the privacy page to no avail. Do you have any advice? Loved the video too.
Thanks, Alexander. :) Did you block your friend from your wall or from your news feed? I didn't know we could block individual friends from writing and posting links, photos, etc. on our wall, but I do know we can hide individual friend's activities from showing up in the news feed on our homepage.
To add them back, click on Edit Options at the very bottom of the news feed, and click on the Add to News Feed button beside your friend's name. :) I thought you might also be interested in this: http://hubpages.com/hub/facebooktricks
Great informative hub. Facebook is a great website and you can actually get some pretty good traffic from facebook too! I wrote a hub on the ways to get traffic from Facebook http://hubpages.com/hub/Making-Money-on-Hubpages-T
Also, join my group on Facebook called 'HubPages Post and Chat'
Hi Susan Ng, thanks that worked!!! You are awesome.
You're welcome, Alexander. And thanks. :)
good collection so nice hub
I would join but alas the Captain has no friends ( :
Hey a very informative Hub here. I appreciate this effort from you. The Facebook is not so simple social community like other. It has so many things and a newbie is sure to get confused. This is a good guide for a newcomer to begin with! Good job!
Then maybe you shouldn't have let your friends walk the plank, Captain! Haha! :D And what am I, chopped liver?! :P
Thanks, packerpack. :) I really appreciate your appreciation. ;)
There is a small help from you. How have you created your "Table of contents". I mean how do you make a link point to a particular part of the Hub. How do you do this internal linking? Mind sharing the tip??
Oh, I have Darkside to thank for that. :) Here: http://hubpages.com/_myhubpageslinks/hub/tableofco :)
Hey thaks for that help. Appreciate it!
Cheeky, Cheeky as if you wud be chopped liver, methinks though that I might actually set up a facebook account but set up under the Captains name, post pics etc of my adventures, send me a Facebook invite ; )
Haha! One invite for the Captain coming up! :P
That's my girl ; )
I will send my invite to you too!!! :)
That would be nice, dwilliamson. :) And check your mail, er... message in a bottle, Captain! :P
Hi Susan - EXCELLENT idea on writing a Facebook intro hub. I'll forward this to many friends and family members who still shy away from the site. Cheers, -Dawei888 :-)
I do the same thing, dawei888. :D Quite a few of my friends disappear from facebook because they don't understand it. Hence, the inspiration for this hub. :) Thanks! :D
Nice hub Susan. Facebook is great for keeping in touch with my friends. I dislike the new layout though, I much preferred the old one.
Me, too, bogleg20. I liked the previous design better. But what can we do but adapt, right? :)
Thanks a lot Susan. Good hub indeed.
My granddaughter wants me to sign up with Facebook, but I wasn't sure it was for me. I'll have to bookmark your page, read it again, and then maybe decide to take the plunge! Thanks for info!
You're welcome, frogyfish. Find me if you decide to take the plunge. Hehe. :)
Thanks for your info and I know more about facebook
I just joined Facebook after a couple of years in Friendster. I'm glad I found this hub.
Will look for you Susan =). There's also a forum ongoing on the facebook accounts of the different hubbers. Maybe I can get to invite some of them. Thanks for the hub.
Sure thing, emievil. :) And you're welcome, adezalfa. :)
Hi,
Wow, this is the Hub for me. I have been reading how to use Facebook and find it so helpful. Also, in my Hub Account I can tick on "comments I made" so I won't loss your Hub. Great Hub and thanks again.
mailxpress
That's great, mailxpress. Thanks. :)
im a facebook master but ill tell ppl to check this hub out! (=
Happy to get a facebook master's approval, Chriistion. Hehe. :P
Hey its really a great source of information for beginner. Facebook change its features and layout and upgrade it so mostly people get confused. Nice article indeed. Keep it up :)
Thanks, Facebooklicious. And you're right, Facebook does change every so often. We just have to keep up. :)
very well written and some very useful information! have read your other articles on FB and found them equally interesting. thank you for posting...!
Thanks, myownworld. :)
This is really the best guide for facebook noob. Thank you for sharing it!
Excellent guide for those that are just beginning or need a refresher couse. Good writing.
I 'hid' someone mistakenly (meaning to hide a group). How do I get them back?
Thanks, Melinjo and crazybeanrider. :) Marilyn, did you hide the group from your News Feed? To unhide it, scroll to the bottom of the news feeds on your homepage, click Edit Options, find the name of the page you want to unhide and click on Add to News Feed beside it. :)
I've just started on facebook so really need some instruction as to what it's really all about. Thanks for the tips!
Very nice and neat hub. I just love this hubs. I have sent its links to most of my frnds. Thanks for sharing . It really helps
Thanks, and glad to have helped. :)
Many things I didn't know about Facebook. I will have to read the rest of your Hubs on Facebook. Great tips and tricks. Thanks.
excellent
Facebook has always intimidated me. The thought of all that set-up work and putting my information 'out-there' concerns me. After reading your hub, I am ready to take the plunge. It is about time.
Welcome to the world of Facebook, KeithTax. :)
I tried to print this page, using the 'printer friendly' option. Nothing printed, except the first page. I have double checked and it is not on my end... can you check yours? thanks, good info.
Hey thanks Susan. This is helpful regarding I never used Facebook in that manner before. I guess people are to lazy nowadays and when it comes to explore the "Menus" and reading the guidelines ... well everything becomes boring :P
Good for newbies
I wanted to hide someones pic. now I have erased everyones images including my own. I see the text but no ones facebook profiles (images) How can I undo this? Thanks
Hi, Anne. :) Can you please provide more details? Where was this picture that you wanted to hide - on your wall? How did you end up "erasing" everyone's images? And which images are you referring to?
Great guide, very helpful. Thanks for sharing!
detailed information
Excellent Work !
Thanks for the facebook run down
Hi Everyone. I learned facebook through this video series and thought it may be of use to someone.
http://socialsupercharge.com/snc/
Ignore the marketing hype, it’s really a simple, easy to follow way to learn how to use facebook. The series takes about an hour and steps you through setting everything up and shows you how to avoid "newbie" mistakes that can be embarrassing. Check it out.
Thanks, everyone. :)
I love the diagram style illustrations you used to explain the profile and home pages. Taking the text out makes it instantly clear how the pages are organized. Great work!
thx 4 the basics of the site..I'm uite new on it and the only reason i'm on it bcos all my friends are
Thanks for the information. Great as it is very easy to understand. Have linked to it on a FB group - Understanding Facebook.
Thanks, FindYourSearch. It took a while to make the illustrations and screenshots, but I knew it would make things easier to picture out. :) And you're welcome cookiesweet99 and Sue. I appreciate your linking to my article. :)
Great info, you make it short and clear. I love it. Keep write wonderful info. Thanks a lot.
Hey great tips and very usefull information. I used to really like myspace but once I got the hang of facebook.com I like almost as much except when it comes to promoting a business. So, instead of complaining I went and built a new social Network that is both for personal use and also for business profile. Check it out and let me know what you think. It's called www.NBAY.COM
Although facebook has changed so much lately but this is really a comprehensive guide :)
You're right, KenWu. Facebook has undergone a lot of facelifts since I wrote this article, but the basic principles remain the same. :)
Excellent resource! Thank you for sharing, great hub!
The best part of facebook is looking up friends from high school and having a "reunion" without going anywhere and letting them see how much weight I've gained. sheesh
This is really a comprehensive guide. New Face-book users should read your hub first to understand how Facebook works.
Facebook is one the best social networking site.It is a user friendly site and also gives access to the new facebook layouts,which make it more tempting and attractive.
I'm not trying to advertise here, but visit http://tipsandtricksworld.com for useful facebook tricks and tips and also other general tips and tricks. thanks!
Nice one for the older generation who hasn't quite gotten into facebook yet.
I am electing you as my Facebook consultant. Thank you following you.
Haha! Thanks, Sun Pen 50. :)
i hav absolutley no clue what a " box " is on facebook, can sm1 please tell me?
A "box" was a tab you could add to your profile page but I think it's gone now. It was like a bulletin board of sorts where your latest links, photos, videos, applications, etc. showed up so your friends could find them faster.
Thanks for this helps for those who are still a bit behind on the facebook thing
Very good information! Thanks for sharing
thanks!
Last week I phoned Nordstrom Department store to make an appointment with a personal shopper as we are searching for bridesmaids dresses. Now "Nordstrom Weddings" is on my FB page. I also get posts from "Big Love". I've never signed up for any of those posts so have no idea how to get rid of them. Is there a way? Thanks for the help for a novice user!
Hi, bwl8585. You can hide posts from your news feed by clicking on "Edit Options" at the bottom of all the posts. Add Nordstrom Weddings and Big Love to the "Hide posts from" section. Hope that helps. :)
that post is good
You create a group naming their country and profession which will help you to track them very easily.
I think Rebekah Diaspora Smith hacked my account, and is posting the link to my login page on her friends' pages. I've never had my account hacked before, and don't know what to do besides change my password. Although I'm not sure what good it will do.
A very good article I have read after a long period. I appreciate the time & effort you have put in to create this hub.
MINDBLOWING...................!
I have two accounts on facebook, whiche were created by mistake. Can you please guide me how can I merge them?
Thanks Prakash Sethia. But I'm sorry I don't know how to merge accounts on facebook, if that is even possible. :O
Thanks lot 4 Your Post
great hub! I always find it difficult to keep up with the changes in Facebook as I am only using like 30% of the functionalities. It might be a good start by following the things that you mentioned in this hub.
I CANNOT LEARN FACEBOOK
your facebook is very good but i am not able to make my account where you post confirmation email will you helppp me plzzzzzzzz
somebody help me pls, When i open my messages. howcome i can't see the conversation button?
nice
Thanks for your post. This useful for facebook users as well as just join members.
Quite helpful
if you can not acces to facebook use there Facebook login page.
Thanks for a really lovely weblog. I discovered on this site knowledge designed in the perfect method. I will certainly suggest the webpage around the world and then also to each and every my buddies.
Thanks, bib. :)
I'm pretty good with FaceBook, but this is a pretty good for beginning users.
Hi perhaps 2 days ago I posted a question--re: on my wall, and exactly what can I do with it.....i.e. can I direcly sell --or put a link in to my site. Can i show my new Jewelry collection. Hope U can provide an answer ...thanks Danton
As a Facebook user for more than 8 years I can digg this hub - though facebook is always changing the way it works, constantly making it better, have been trying to get a grip on making a good facebook page for businesses and such.
Yes, Danton. As far as I know, you can put anything on your wall as long as it's legal. You can sell stuff, show your jewelry collection and put links to your site. :)
Thanks, loveonline. You're right, Facebook is always changing.
nice
Nice!!! It's really very informative article, I really appreciate your thoughts.I obviously enjoying and I also bookmarked & i will visit again in future updates.
Logo Design
As a Facebook user for more than 8 years I can digg this hub - though facebook is always changing the way it works, constantly making it better, have been trying to get a grip on making a good facebook page for businesses and such.
Great info thx!!!!!My fb looks great im up to 294 friendz lol.
THE GREST HELP TO FACEBOOK USER
its good
please i want to joint facebook, And how can i joint it.
Thanks, everyone. Emmy, you can sign up for Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/ :)
I cann't seem to figure out how to find my friends phone #s on facebook. Can you help?
If you can't see your friends' phone numbers on their info page in Facebook, then they probably didn't disclose it or their privacy settings prevent you from seeing it. :)
Very good information for learning point of view
This is very helpful and clear. I used to have a place on my page that said "Invite Friends" but it has now disappeared. How can I get it back? Thanks
very informative and helpful
I can't read the graphics??
Which graphics can't you see, John N?
If I delete my facebook messages on my phone will I be able to see them on a computer or another phone?
Great for starters like me. Thank you.
About a month or so ago I noticed my wall photo was no longer visible when I logged into facebook. Also, the wall photos for my friends (listed on the left or when clicked) are no long visible. I thought it was due to facebook maintenance, but the pictures still are not visible. Do I need to change something in my settings and if so, could someone step me through the process. Thanks so much!
thanks for the tips susan! ;)
I am having a terrible time. People are courteous and try to explain things to me, but then when I try to put that information (such as tagging and sharing) into practice, I have more questions and do not want to keep bothering them. Even the turtorials
When you open and read someone's wall, do they know you have done so?
Better yet, do facebook users know if you open their page and look at their photos ect,?
Not unless you leave comments, Like or Share, creston. :)
i can operate the menu button with mouse
Hey a very informative Hub here. I appreciate this effort from you. The Facebook is not so simple social community like other. It has so many things and a newbie is sure to get confused. This is a good guide for a newcomer to begin with! Good job!
vry nice
what does poke means on facebook
and for how much time does a going to offline for a contact works
Thank you, louromano and Zohaib. :)
yogini, I've often asked myself that very same question. Poke is one of those useless features of facebook in my opinion. ;P About going offline, in my experience when I opt to appear offline to a contact, I stay offline until I manually select to appear online again. :)
Hi Susan, thank you for taking the time for all you help!
You're welcome, January Jane. :)
Hi Susan,
Here are some videos on a beginner's guide to using Facebook Pages, something your readers might be interested in. http://www.youtube.com/shortstackuniversity.
Thanks!
Sara
Uninvited Writer 3 years ago
Excellent hub. Wish I had something like it when I first started :)
I'm currently hooked on playing a couple of games on there...