Fast Facts:
Facebook

Facebook is a popular social media platform. 

• Facebook allows you to post photos, videos, statements, comments, and polls. 

• You can privately message with your contacts on Facebook using Facebook Messenger. 

• You can comment on posts with text comments, emojis, pictures, and videos. 

• The platform promotes network building and posting of content personal to you and others with shared interests. 

• It also allows for the creation of Facebook groups of like-minded people.

• It also allows for scheduling of events for organizations, tracking accepted and declined invites.

• Businesses can reach large audiences with the marketing and advertising tools on Facebook. This can be both a pro and con.

Some of the issues are:

• There are a lot of fake profiles. 

• Anyone can find you by searching your name.

• Facebook can be addicting. 

• Easy for misinformation to be spread. 

• Many websites and apps use the user’s Facebook profile to login. This can be risky if the user logins into an unsafe site or app with their Facebook credentials, leaving their information vulnerable.

Today, there is a trend among teens and younger individuals to prefer other social media platforms. 

• Get familiar with and use the privacy settings to decide how your account, posts, likes, and so on can be viewed by others (only by your friends, or publicly, etc.)

• Only communicate with people you know and trust.

• Block other users, if you are not comfortable. This prevents the other user from contacting you further.

• Enable multi-factor authentication for additional account security.  

Don’t 

• Accept invitations or communicate with people you don't know.

• Post anything that you might regret later. Remember that what you post is always captured and stored online somewhere, so think twice before posting something especially in a hurry or in anger.

• Share your Facebook password or phone or otherwise allow others to use your account on your behalf.