For those of a certain age, "Facebook" might sound vaguely familiar but wholly unattractive.
However, what was once the venue online for hormonal students has become a global, all-ages phenomenon.
Though there are plenty of social networking sites out there, Facebook leads the pack, according to Nielson Online ratings. It's an easy place to start a venture into the land of social networking.
The following is a rough guide to why and how to join the ranks on Facebook.
Real-life equivalent
A resume-meets-updated-yearbook-page. With lots of photos.
Value
Great way to stay in touch with people, send out a mass invite to a party and keep tabs on your children. Also, you can be a voyeur without getting caught. Check out the status of your high school classmates' relationships, photos and work history.
Getting started
Go to www.facebook.com and begin the registration process. The Web site guides you through setting up an account, from uploading a profile picture
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Photo tips
The profile picture will introduce your page to the world. Choose a good photo of yourself and crop it beforehand. Scanning a photograph usually doesn't result in the highest-quality photo. If necessary, ask to borrow someone's digital camera and have them e-mail you the photo file. Save it to your desktop and you have it exactly where you want it for an easy upload. Facebook guides you through the process.
Profile tips
Be careful how much you divulge. Will posting your political beliefs cause tension with work relationships or do you already have 10 political bumper stickers? Do you really want to post your cell phone number for all the world to see?
When it comes to interests and hobbies, write out a draft before posting it. That will give you time to rethink what you write. It might seem trivial, but this is one of the best ways to express yourself to people who might not know you very well. Upon further reflection, should you advertise that your favorite movie is "Steel Magnolias?"
Making friends
Once you sign up, go search for friends. You can "friend" people (yes, we use it as a verb) for networking, to catch up on old times or to meet new people. I suggest making friends with people you know are real people, preferably those you've met in person. The kids might think it's a contest to accrue the biggest friend list, but the important thing is that they're all people with whom you're willing to share photos and angry status updates.
Your status
At the top of your profile page, you'll find an empty box that asks "What's on your mind?" What you type in that box will immediately follow your name and be displayed on your friends' homepages.
Many status updates tend to be negative, but by all means, post a positive update.
Examples of status updates: "Sam waited an hour for nothin ... no more nice guy!!" "Jeremy AWESOME! I need a 3 thousand dollar surgery to take my jaw apart, smooth out the hinges, put cartilage back in place, and reduce the swelling -- good times." "Elycia hates alaska."
Privacy
Unless you're trying to sell something, carefully set your privacy settings.
* Go to settings on the top right and click on privacy settings. Click on profile and you'll see a page with a zillion drop-down menus. If you set every drop-down to the option Only Friends, that means that only people you have accepted as a friend will be able to see your profile. It's the best way to control what the general population does, and doesn't, see on your page. You can let only your friends see certain information about you like your address or cell phone number.
* If you click on privacy settings then Search, you can control who is able to find you on the network. When someone searches for your name, they will see your profile picture, name and any networks to which you belong. Then, they can send you a friend request, which will show up on your home page awaiting a yes or no answer. A network could include your school classmates, co-workers or those in your hometown.
* If you set your search visibility to Only Friends, that means no one will be able to find you and thus, you will have no one requesting to be your friend. After you first sign up, set it to Everyone, then eventually change it to Friends of Friends. You can let people in your networks see your page by checking on the boxes on the Privacy Search page.
