Getting Started With a Facebook Page

A guide for creating Official Pages

Facebook: What is It?*

A social networking tool to connect users.

It’s a way for you to publicize events, showcase new publications, and promote discussion with your communities.

Facebook is just one of a variety of online communities. Others include MySpace, Orkut, QQ and so on. Do some audience research before choosing a network to ensure you’ll reach the right people.

*Facebook is constantly changing.   While we periodically review this guide to reflect these changes to the interface, we can't always guarantee that what you see on your screen will exactly mimic the information in the guide.

Should You Use Facebook?

Many units and commands have created official presences on Facebook pages.

Determine if your page will represent your entire unit or an individual section. Your location and local culture will help determine this.

For a list of sites that have a presence on Facebook, go to our Social Media Registry

Spend some time looking at some of these pages to get ideas.

Before you begin, educate yourself on the cost in staff time and energy in managing a good Facebook page.

Make sure you have buy-in and support from your Commanding Officer before you begin.

Why Do You Want a Facebook Page?

Don’t create a Facebook page to duplicate your official web site. Use it to build a community.

Publicize upcoming programs such as webchats, contests, major events, and more.

Post content or ask questions to get public feedback.

Link to topical content that may help your audience or answer questions your audience may have.

Create discussion threads for community discussions on issues that are of mutual interest.

Hold competitions that will spur community involvement, such as a photography competition around a specific topic.

Advantages of Pages Over Groups

Unlike groups, pages are visible on the Internet to non-Facebook members. (In order to join discussions, people must be Facebook members.)

Pages provide detailed usage statistics, called Insights. Insights are not available in Facebook Groups.

Pages can have an unlimited number of fans.

Unlike a Facebook group, a page protects the identity of the administrator.

Pages are better for long-term relationships with fans, readers, and customers.

Pages provide the greatest latitude in design and content options.

Sign Up and Create a Profile

1. Go to Facebook at http://www.facebook.com2. Use an email address that is shared with others on your team. Don’t use your personal email address. 3. If you have a team .mil email address that you share with your office, you may use that.4. Click on Sign Up.

Click on Sign Up

Activate Your Facebook Account, and Log in

1. Access your email account and open the message from Facebook.2. You’ll need to confirm your Facebook account by clicking on the link provided, as shown. 3. You will be instructed to sign in using your email address and the Facebook password you created when you signed up.

Click on link

This address will become the permanent “owner” of the page for administrative purposes

Disregard Invitations from Facebook to Create Connections

In the next four windows, Facebook will ask you to find and add friends, to fill out school or company information, and upload a profile picture. You must skip all of these steps, by clicking on “Skip this step,” or “Skip,” in the lower right corner of each window, as shown.

We don’t want Dod Pa to have any friends, nor do we want the alias to be affiliated with any networks. If you want to add a photo in step #4, use your organization’s official photo so fans recognize when you contact them.

Skip step #1 Skip step #2

Skip step #3 Skip step #4 (optional)

Apply Privacy Settings for Your Alias

Click on “Profile” in the upper right corner and choose “Privacy Settings” as shown.

FYI:You need to apply the strictest privacy settings to your profile so that it is not accessible to the general public.

Privacy Settings, continued• First, select “View

Settings” under “Basic Directory Information.”

• Next, change the setting next to “Search for me on Facebook” to “Friends Only.”

• Then, click “Back to Privacy,” in the upper left hand corner of the page.

Privacy Settings, continued

You will need to select “Customize settings” to change the default settings.

Privacy settings, continued

You will need to access the three categories highlighted below:

• Things I Share

• Things Others Share

• Contact Information

• The steps you follow will be similar for each category.

Privacy Settings, continued

• For each field, choose “Customize.”

• Make each field visible to “Only Me,” as shown below.

• In the Search category, there is no option to choose “Only Me.” You’ll have to choose “Only Friends.”

Creating the Fan Page

1. Click on the Home button.

2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click on “Advertising.” It’s the fourth button from the right.

Creating the Fan Page

1. The next window is entitled Facebook Advertising. To create a page, click on “Pages” as shown.

2. On the next page, click on the “Create a Page” link, as shown.

Creating the Fan Page, continued

3. In the form, click on the second button for Brand, Product, or Organization. Choose Government from the pull-down menu.

4. The name of your Facebook page should indentify your institution – we suggest your Base, Organization, or Unit Name.

5. To finish, click “Create Official Page.”

How to Log Out of Facebook

To log out of Facebook, click on the Account link in the upper right corner of the window, and then click on Logout, as shown.

How to Return to Your Fan Page

1. Go to Facebook at http://www.facebook.com

2. Sign in using the email address and password you used to create your account.

3. From your profile page (Dod Pa), click on “Ads and Pages “ found on the left side of your window.

Adding Other Administrators to Your Page

It’s a good idea to add other people, or “admins” to your Facebook page so that more than one person can add and update information. An admin must be a member of Facebook. To do this, take the following steps:

1. From your page, click on edit page and scroll down until you see the “Admins” section.

2. Click on “Add” as shown.

3. Type the email address of the person or persons you have agreed to be admins of the page , as shown.

4. Click on “Add Admins” as shown.

Click on Edit Page

Click on Add

Editing Your Fan Page

Note that you can edit your page for as long as you like before you publish it. It’s a good idea to share the page with others before going live.

The next guide, “Designing Your Facebook Page” will take you through the steps of how to make your page attractive and enticing for your fans.

Your Fan Page in Other LanguagesAt the very bottom of the “create page” window, there is a link entitled “English (US).”

By clicking on this link, you will have a choice of several languages., as shown.

FYI:Depending on where you are and what you do, engagement may be more active by working in the

local language.

The End

•If you have questions or comments, please contact the Department of Defense Public Affairs New Media and Outreach team at socialmedia@osd.mil.