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Facebook is a social networking site, similar to MySpace. It is a website where people who share similar interests can connect with one another and share information. Typically social networking sites allow users to create a profile, share photos, videos, links, etc. and communicate with other members of the network through instant messaging or comments on the user's profile page.
Which social networks you decide to be active on will be a function of where your audience is currently "hanging out" online. Some users gravitate toward MySpace while others are on Facebook. Read Viewing American Class Divisions Through Facebook and MySpace for more information on some of the demographic issues underlying use of the two sites.
(From Facebook for Nonprofit Beginners) Facebook can be an essential tool for nonprofit organizing, because it is an efficient way to connect with other organizations and people which might not have known about your organization before. It's also an easy venue to plug into an existing audience that has similar interests. If your nonprofit has video content, podcasts, interviews, or documents just languishing on your desktop, creating a presence on Facebook provides an easy way to upload these types of media, without spending the time or resources required for updating your own Web site.
The way that Facebook interacts with other social media tools, like Twitter, blogs, and Flickr, can provide a simple interface to consistently and easily update your community of supporters with news of your organization's activities. If all this social media stuff is new to you, check out this primer on Web 2.0 and social media from the National Service Resource Center to learn the basics.
Best of all, using Facebook is free so the cost is only in how much time you and your staff choose to invest. What's the return on the investment? If not a direct monetary ROI, there will definitely be a marketing return that becomes evident as your network grows. Creating a fan page on Facebook is also a great way to increase your volunteer base and to help your members do the advertising of your organization’s mission for you.
1. Review these links to get familiar with what Facebook is and a little about how it works, particularly in the nonprofit arena.
2. Check out these examples to see how some other organizations are using Facebook. What do you like? What don't you like?
3. If you have time, explore some of these other resources.