My Facebook Journeyand Advice

As of the beginning of 2010 I still was not active on Facebook. I did have an account, however, which I had created so I could look at a picture a friend had linked me to. That was really all I had done on it, and Facebook had been around for quite some time. I just didn't want to bite off another trend.

My girlfriend finally talked me into using the account to find old friends, and I hesitantly agreed. Once I had searched for and found some long-lost folks from my past, I was hooked. I started adding everyone I knew, both present and past. It was a huge lot of fun catching up and keeping up with everyone.

It didn't take long for me to realize that Facebook could also become a strong marketing tool, especially for someone like me who makes his living freelance writing on the Internet. I started adding friends who wrote for sites like Associated Content and boy, has that paid off. I click their links and they click mine, and everyone makes a little cash.

When I was younger I went by Chris Odom, and changed to my first name, Derek, after I moved from Colorado to California in 1987. That proved to be problematic when old friends were searching for me, and so it was up to me to find them. Several of them told me that they couldn't find me anywhere, so keep that in mind when creating a Facebook account if your name has changed.

Now I have over five-hundred folks on my friends list, and value each and every one of them for different reasons. I also check my Facebook several times a day, and post links to my articles, my forum, or anything else I find interesting at the moment. Facebook really has been a positive experience for me, and I would recommend it to anyone with a computer and Internet connection.

Of course, with the good comes the bad. Exes can find us easily, as well as other people we would rather not associate with. My suggestion is to review carefully any friends requests you may receive. Make completely sure that the person you are adding is who they say they are, and say no to the bots and anyone with offensive words or nude pictures in their profile unless you are positive you know them already.

Never ever give your password or any other account information to someone who asks you on Facebook. There are a lot of scammers out there who would love to do us harm, and it is better to play it safe than to end up sorry. If a good friend of yours needs something, tell them to call you. Keep sensitive information off the Net, for your own safety.

My life has changed in a very positive way since I began actively using my Facebook account, and I'm extremely glad that I finally jumped on the bandwagon. It reconnected me with folks who were just memories before, and connected me with other folks I would never have met without my Facebook account.