Ellen PhillipsMillions of folks post on Facebook everyday - some with interesting news but others who write inane comments, such as "Well, I've been awake for two hours and am on my third cup of coffee. Then I'm off to the grocery store." Frankly, with respect to the latter, who cares? But I'm not writing today about social media etiquette; instead, according to Facebook for Dummies' author Carolyn Abram, use Facebook as a successful avenue to bring people together in frequently unexplored areas. For instance:
Search for (non-besties) friends who share your own interests. If you're friends-of-a-friend, for example, search for "My friends in Chattanooga who enjoy playing bridge" if you need a fourth or want to set up a brand-new group. You'll be amazed at the number of "friends" who also love this game or other similar activities, whose interest you never would have known had you not used this search.
My daddy always said, "It's not what you know but who you know," and he was 100 percent correct. Finding professional prospects is a charm when utilizing FB as a means to scout. Whether searching for positions within a particular company or a person within your common field, uncover these opportunities by search questions. "UTC graduates in the field of communication" or "my friends who work at BlueCross BlueShield" are a couple of queries to help you get a foot in the door.
Obviously, before lodging that "foot," it's always best to have recommendations in order. Whether recommendations for your own work or those for a position or place you're searching, make sure to question FB. For example, "my friends who liked my writings or presentations" or "North Georgia dentists liked by my friends."
Track down friends' old posts. As we in this area are surrounded by apple orchards, perhaps you'd rather experience the actual by-hand-apple-picking rather than going to a market and buying a basket full. Facebook allows users to dig through posts written by friends to find information; "apple-picking posts by my friends" is a perfect way to begin your FB search.
Note that complete phrases are a better search than single words. "apple-picking in North Georgia" tracks better than "apples," "orchard," or even "North Georgia." Knowing that results are divided into subcategories is also helpful. "Posts," "People," and "Photos" are the choices but to more easily and quickly discover exactly who or what you're searching, know the different among the three choices. Posts always appear first. If, however, you're trying to find a person, place or picture, click on one of the other headings near the top of the results page. Search "my friends who like SEC football" and click on the "People" tab near the top of the page; this gives you a list of your FB friends who also enjoy this particular element. Otherwise, you'll probably get nothing more than their posts related to these games. On the other hand, if this search comes up empty, expand the search. Rather than "my friends" try "friends of my friends in Chattanooga" or even "friends of my friends within the continental United States"