This is the first in a series of posts pulled from Chris Brogan’s “100 blog topics I hope YOU write.” (#1)
I don’t know how long I’ve been actively using Facebook, I’m on there so often now that it becomes more of a “when WASN’T I using Facebook” thing. The closest I can come to a Facebook start date is September 2007, which is when I started posting photos. I do have a little system I go through for using Facebook so I will spell that out here.
1. Review the home page, scroll through and check out what is being said and posted. Lately this has also meant deciding if there was anyone I wasn’t interested in seeing newsfeed posts about anymore and clicking the dreaded X to remove them from the feed. I don’t know how people with thousands of friends do it because I am at 260 and it was tough. I will look at pictures, look at links that people have posted, etc.
2. Every few days or so I will check out “People You May Know” to see what’s going on there. I’ve found many many people this way, especially those from elementary and middle school.
3. If I remember, I will poke Jessica or Chris back because they are the only people I play that little game with.
4. Next I click over to my profile. An email (or 2 or 10) from Facebook telling me that stuff is happening gets me there, and then I generally just poke around and find things that way, instead of reading all of the emails separately. I scan them later but I prefer to read new comments, etc, right on the page. I check out comments on all of my posted stuff at this point, comment back to people, etc.
5. At this point I will hit the inbox if I see something new. I find that I’m deleting inbox messages about 90% of the time without sending any sort of response.
6. These are my basic steps, if I am just checking in to check in, I’ll either close the tab or just leave it and move on to something else.
Other things I do on Facebook:
1. Post links to blog posts here on JamieSanford.com. Google Analytics is telling me that this is really working since I have many readers that come and check out my posts because I posted them on Facebook. It’s good like that.
2. Post links to things that amuse me or that I think are important and/or amusing in some way. I post YouTube videos, photos, etc., sometimes on my profile and sometimes right on the profiles of some friends. I am not above posting a photo of a sexy male celebrity or two.
3. Write notes. I have participated in many of the memes that have been floating around as of late, my first note was a rant about an issue I had with a fundraising company that I interacted with to earn money for my nephew’s school. Since then, I have posted 25 random things about me, the 20 albums thing, a currents thing, etc. My next step is to post 50 songs, because the 20 albums thing left out any opportunity to talk about individual songs that just take you back to a specific place and time and that might just be more fun.
4. Chat! I don’t do this too often because not THAT many of my people are into chatting via Facebook, but I have talked to Johnny (of Zeno’s Candy fame) quite a few times.
So that’s it – for now. I might be missing something but I’ve been thinking about it as I’ve used Facebook in the last few days.
How do YOU use Facebook?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I basically follow that pattern. FB is very important to me as I am now across the pond and FB unites all my friends. I have friends and family all over the world and FB is our common link of communication.
I do get fed up with ‘items’ that get sent to me that I am expected accept/pass on/ignore.
I love peoples’ photos and peoples’ daily thoughts and inputs.
I ‘go on’ FB constantly all day as it only updates that way. I am not a fan of this new improved version but no one at FB cares a damn so there is no point in complaining.
I am interested to see how others use the site.