by: Caroline Eaton

Welcome to article #2 of our social media know-how series. Today, we are discussing the wonderful world of Facebook.

Everyone and their mom’s cats are on Facebook these days, which means you need to be on there too. If you already are: great! We’ll continue talking about ways to utilize it for your ministry.

If you aren’t on Facebook yet: what are you waiting for? If you needed a little extra encouragement, just check out last weeks’ blog about the benefits of using social media.

Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s get down to the basics and dissect what Facebook can do.

1. Posting photos, statuses, and videos.
Facebook is an online communication platform, so when you make your own account, you can log on and post content like photos, status updates (which basically means any written-out comment you want to share with the world) and videos that your friends can see.

2. Facebook friends.
When you have an account on Facebook, you can become “friends” with other people you know who also have accounts. This is how you keep up with what they are doing. To find friends, simply use the search bar on the top of your page and type in their name. Once you find the person you’re looking for, you simple click “Add Friend.”

3. Facebook Pages.
Businesses and public figures create Facebook Pages that users can “like” (simply by clicking the “like” button at the top of the page). Now when things are posted from that page, it will appear on your personal home page (which is called your newsfeed). For a great example of a Facebook page, check out the Church of God Division of Education page, where our media coordinator frequently shares info, verses, news about our institutions all over the world, and upcoming events.

4. Facebook Groups.
Like we discussed last week, a group is a great tool to effectively communicate with a select circle of people. When you need to send a message out to just the people in your small group, you can hop on Facebook and send the message to them all at once through your Facebook group.

5. Event invites and info.
You can also make Facebook Events, which are specific pages where you can give info about your upcoming event, invite friends, and remind them of the event as the time draws closer.

6. Sharing links, events, and other content.
Almost all content on Facebook can be shared, so if your pastor friend in another state shares a verse you really like, you can share it with your own friends. You can also share photos, videos, and links to articles.

That’s the bare-bones basics to Facebook, but I encourage you to hop on and try it yourself. If you don’t have one already, create an account and start finding your friends!