What Is Facebook, What Is It For, and How Does It Work?

If you are still not clear about what Facebook is or how this social network works, which you have surely heard many times, today I will clear up your doubts.

Although it is possible that people around you already have a Facebook profile or corporate page, you probably still do not know exactly what it is or what it is for.

And if you are also at a point in your life when you have decided to start training in the digital world, you should begin to understand how this digital platform works.

Likewise, it would be helpful for you to know that, to professionally manage this or other networks, you will have to face a series of myths and rumors that surround them.

Be that as it may, if you have never used it, don’t worry, because today I will reveal a little more about this platform, from its beginnings to its functions, and of course, I will leave you some tips so that you can use it from today.

What is Facebook?

Facebook is a social network created to help people stay in touch and share information, news, and audiovisual content with their friends and family.

It is one of the digital channels best known to Internet users today. In fact, according to studies conducted over the past year, it is the second most-used social network after WhatsApp.

All types of users can register in it: individuals, companies, or large brands, to be in contact with each other and thus be able to share content.

But what exactly is Facebook for?

By telling you what Facebook is, I have also revealed what it is for: as I mentioned before, we can see and interact with images, videos, and comments from other users or accounts.

This is a good means of communication that has put people in touch who have lost contact over the years, perhaps due to distance or other life circumstances.

In the same way, it has come to bring together former schoolmates or to bring users closer to their favorite brands.

Its main function, therefore, is to connect users, put people in contact so that they can share information about themselves, their tastes, their experiences and, ultimately, their day-to-day life.

Thus, they can comment publicly, send private messages, and even make live video connections via its “Facebook Live ” functionality.

It is true that throughout the evolution of this platform, we have seen that we can no longer just share an image or a video. Now we can even share a feeling, an emotion, say where we are by its location or what music we are listening to.

And as if that were not enough, it has saved more than one of us from forgetting the birthdays of our friends, and even our partner or children!

An original way to give it an additional function, so you don’t have to write down all these dates on a calendar or even in your diary.

If, on the other hand, you want to give it a more professional use and become a Community Manager, this network gives you the opportunity to be in contact with people who work in the same sector as you.

In this way, you can network, meet customers, and even sell your own products if you have a Fan Page.

How was Facebook born? Brief history of the platform

Back on February 4, 2004, Mark Zuckerberg launched this website with other Harvard University colleagues, including Eduardo Saverin, Andrey McCollum, Chris Hughes, and Dustin Moskovitz.

Zuckerberg’s main idea was to create a new way to communicate with university students daily, but in a very short time, it was open to anyone with an email address.

Thus, it expanded to other universities and users, reaching the point we are at today, with more than 2.9 billion users per month.

After the success obtained with the platform and the launch of Instagram in 2010, Zuckerberg’s company acquired the rights to this “App” in 2012.

How does Facebook work?

Its operation is simple: once you have registered and created your personal profile, you can start interacting with your friends and family.

Keep in mind that to register and log in, you will need a Gmail account or a similar platform, along with the corresponding personal and secret passwords.

Knowing these initial premises, it is time to learn how the social network works, for which you must consider the number of things you can do in it:

Make new friends

Adding new friends is as simple as searching for them by their first and last names (if they have registered with their real data) in the search engine at the top of the platform.

Once you enter the name, people who match your search will appear. You must send a friend request to get in touch with them by clicking the “Add to my friends ” button.

This is important, since although in some cases we are allowed to communicate with others via private message without being friends (depending on each person’s personal profile settings), the platform recommends, for privacy, not talking to unknown people.

Interact with the contents of your community

As I told you before, with it, you can see the status updates, photos, and videos that they upload, where they share relevant moments of their own lives.

In this way, you can let them know your opinion, give them a like, comment on those contents to tell them what you thought, or even share those contents so that your own community can also see those contents of others.

You can join thematic groups

In the same way that you maintain your activity with your profile or page, you can share and consume content precisely on those topics that interest you or are most passionate about.

There are 3 types of groups:

• Open/Public Groups: these are groups we can join without authorization; we can find them in the search engine, and we can even invite other users to participate. In addition, its content is fully public, whether or not you are part of the group.
• Private/Closed Groups: We can find these groups in the search engine, but to join or view their content, we must be accepted by an administrator. In this case, we will only be able to see the group’s description, but we will not have access to any publications.
• Secret Groups:  you will not find these in the search engines, let’s say that you have to be a bit “VIP” to participate in it, since only an administrator or member of the secret group can invite you to access it and its content cannot be shared or posted on the platform.

Other extra features

Within Facebook, we find various functionalities different from the main ones that I have already told you about, such as:

• Games, where you will not only be able to play alone, but you will also be able to interact with your friends.
• Events: keep up to date with events near your location or those of interest to your friends. In this way, you can show your own interest in an event by indicating “I am interested” or “I will attend”.
• Jobs, which have very recently included a job section where you can not only see the offers but also post your own.
• Make payments: now that there is a sales portal in the purest “Wallapop” style, payments can also be managed through the platform.
• Recommendations: You can also request recommendations for places, restaurants, shops, and hotels.
• Groups: users create groups where they meet based on interests, themes, or even events.

Should I also be on Facebook if I have a business?

The answer to this question is “it depends”, since this in itself is available to all types of companies, as long as it is created by someone who has a personal profile or account.

Taking this into account, the question in this case should rather be:

“Is the target audience or potential customers of my business on Facebook?”

When I say it depends on whether I should be on Facebook, it is because everything depends on your target audience. So you should first look back at your business model and professional sector to be clear about whether your client is in that grid.

In the event that the answer is affirmative, yes, you should be there and develop a complete social media strategy, with help, if you prefer, from tools to manage social networks professionally.

Conclusion

In summary, Facebook is a social network with the ability to unite users in the same community, giving them the facility to share experiences, moments, and conversations, as well as the opportunity to contact a company.