Introduction to using Facebook for your Rotary Club

Facebook is a rapidly growing social media web based communications tool currently used by over 350 million users. Facebook may be used like an email program to get out meeting notices and event announcements to Club members. However the real power behind Facebook comes from its social aspects.

Facebook encourages social connections with friends. Users can search for other users and ask to become friends. If the other person agrees then they are added to your friends list.

One of the keys to the social aspect is found on the user's home page in Facebook. Near the top of the page is a small box which asks the question "What's on your mind?" Anything you enter in this box is sent to all of your friends. Your message will appear on each of your friend's "Wall".

The "Wall" displays the most recent messages sent to the Facebook user. At least the first four lines of longer messages may be displayed. If the message is longer than can be displayed, the user is given the opportunity to view the rest of the message. As new messages are received they appear at the top of the wall.

Your "Wall" provides quick little snippets of what your friends are doing and gives you an easy means of commenting or adding to the dialog. The comments you post appear on all your friends walls. This is the power behind social media.

A quick example of the power of social media:

You post on your Facebook wall that you are looking forward to your Club's BBQ and fund raising auction happening on Saturday.

This post is displayed on the "Wall" of each of your friends.

One of your friends responds that they are also planning to attend the event.

Your friends posting is displayed on your "Wall".

Your friends posting is also displayed on all of their friends "Wall"s including someone named Joe who you have never met.

Joe posts that the event sound like fun and that he is planning on attending.

Joe's post is seen by all of his friends and the cycle continues.

As this example show Facebook can become a very effective means of publicizing an event or even your weekly Club meetings.

Facebook's rules of use discourage organizations and companies from having a Facebook account. Instead a special application has been developed within Facebook for the use of organizations and companies. This is know as the Fan Page. You can create a Fan Page for your Rotary Club and all your members may become Fans. The Fan Page offers many powerful options not available to the individual Facebook user.