getting started with facebook for journalists

Are friends people who share a brew? a movie? a kiss? a class? a cubicle? an email? a city? a college? an interest? mom? dad? sis? In the world of Facebook, who is a friend is up to you. More friends mean more connections and more nuggets of information. More friends also means more time consumed and more interactions. Finding a balance that works for you is an ongoing task.

To get started invite a couple of real friends or colleagues to be friends on Facebook. I suggest inviting someone you know who is pretty savvy about Facebook…ask the intern in your newsroom.

Go to the Facebook homepage and click the Find people you know link. Search for a person you know is on Facebook.

When you find the person, click the Add as Friend link.

Add a personal message and click the Send Request button. An email is sent to your friend's email with a link to your profile picture and an option to accept your invitation.

Once you have profile information and a couple friends Facebook becomes more interesting.

Here's the "no friends" homepage.

With just two friends (and some identifying profile information) the home page is much more interesting.

In addition to seeing activity from Jeremy, Facebook also suggests new friends based on the profile information I entered and interests and networks I share with my friends. As you add more friends and activities, Facebook will continually expand the scope of people recommended as friends.