Written by: The Social Butterfly Enabler (Your Digital Connection Coach)
Facebook keeps you connected to people you care about. Your grandkids post photos. Your old high school friends share updates. Your church announces events. Family plans gatherings. It’s all happening on Facebook, and you’re missing it.
You hear people talk about Facebook but have no idea how it works. Maybe you created an account years ago and never used it. Or you’re scared to try because it seems complicated.
It’s not as complicated as you think. We’ll show you exactly how to use Facebook to stay connected with family and friends without getting overwhelmed.
Don’t want to read all this? We totally understand. Facebook can feel confusing when you’re starting from scratch, and you just want to see what your family is up to without the technical stress. That’s what we do at Teach Me Tech OC. We come to your home anywhere in Orange County (or meet online through Google Meet), set up your Facebook account, show you how to use it safely, and make sure you’re connected with the people who matter. Just reach out.
Quick Overview: Using Facebook to Stay Social
What Facebook Does:
- See photos and updates from family and friends
- Share your own photos and thoughts
- Stay connected with people far away
- Find old friends from high school or military
- Join groups about your interests
What You’ll Learn:
- Creating account (if you don’t have one)
- Finding and adding friends
- Seeing what friends post
- Posting your own updates and photos
- Staying safe and private
What You Need:
- Email address
- Phone or computer
- 15 minutes to set up
Creating Your Facebook Account
If you already have Facebook, skip to the next section. If not, let’s get you set up.
Steps to Create Account
On computer (easiest for first time):
- Go to facebook.com
- Fill in your name (use real name so friends can find you)
- Enter your email address
- Create password (write it down!)
- Enter your birthday
- Choose gender
- Click “Sign Up”
Facebook will send confirmation email. Check your email, click the link to confirm.
On phone:
- Download Facebook app from App Store or Google Play Store
- Tap “Create New Account”
- Follow same steps as above
Choosing Your Profile Picture
After creating account, add profile picture. This helps friends recognize you.
Steps:
- Click on your profile picture area (says “Add Profile Picture”)
- Choose “Upload Photo”
- Select recent photo of yourself from your device
- Adjust if needed
- Click “Save”
Use recent photo where your face is clear. Not a photo from 30 years ago. Not a picture of your dog. Your actual face so people recognize you.
Finding and Adding Friends on Facebook
Facebook is only useful if you’re connected to people you know. Let’s find your friends and family.
Finding People You Know
By name:
- Click search bar at top of Facebook
- Type person’s name
- List of people with that name appears
- Look for profile picture or city to identify right person
- Click on their name
Facebook’s suggestions:
- Facebook suggests people you might know based on mutual friends and email contacts
- Look for “People You May Know” section
- See anyone you recognize? Click “Add Friend”
How to Add Friends
Steps:
- Go to person’s profile
- Click “Add Friend” button
- They get friend request notification
- When they accept, you’re connected
- Now you’ll see their posts and they’ll see yours
Start with close family. Your children, grandchildren, siblings. Then add extended family, friends, old classmates.
Don’t worry about adding everyone at once. Build your friend list gradually.
We helped someone in Irvine set up Facebook. Found her three children, seven grandchildren, two siblings, and five old high school friends in first hour. Suddenly she could see everyone’s updates in one place.
Understanding Your Facebook Feed
The News Feed (or just “Feed”) is the main page of Facebook. It shows posts from your friends in one scrolling list.
What You’ll See in Feed
Posts from friends:
- Photos they share
- Status updates (what they’re thinking or doing)
- Links to articles or videos
- Life events (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)
How the feed works:
- Newest posts usually at top
- Scroll down to see older posts
- Refresh to see new posts
- Algorithm shows you what it thinks you’ll like
Interacting with Posts
Like: Tap thumbs up icon to show you enjoyed post
Comment: Tap “Comment” to write response
Share: Tap “Share” to repost to your own profile
You don’t have to interact with every post. Just like and comment on things that interest you or posts from people you’re close to.
Posting Your Own Updates and Photos
Now that you can see what friends post, let’s post your own content so they can stay connected with you.
Posting a Status Update
Steps:
- Click “What’s on your mind?” box at top of feed
- Type what you want to share
- Click “Post”
What to post:
- Brief updates about your day
- Thoughts you want to share
- Questions for friends
- Keep it short (a few sentences)
Examples: “Beautiful sunset tonight!” or “Made cookies with the grandkids today” or “Can anyone recommend a good plumber?”
Posting Photos
Steps:
- Click “What’s on your mind?” box
- Click “Photo/Video” button
- Choose photo from your device
- Add caption if you want (describe what’s in photo)
- Click “Post”
Photos get more engagement than text posts. People love seeing pictures of grandkids, pets, gardens, vacations, daily life.
Who Can See Your Posts?
Before posting, check who can see it. Look for audience selector (usually says “Friends” or “Public”).
Options:
- Public: Anyone on Facebook can see
- Friends: Only your Facebook friends can see
- Friends except: Friends except specific people you choose
- Specific friends: Only certain friends you select
For most posts, “Friends” is good choice. Keeps things more private while still sharing with people you know.
We recommend setting default to “Friends” rather than “Public” for privacy.
Staying Safe on Facebook
Facebook is generally safe, but you need to be smart about what you share and who you interact with.
Privacy Settings to Check
Steps:
- Click down arrow in top right
- Click “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Settings”
- Click “Privacy” in left sidebar
- Review who can see your posts, friends list, email, phone number
Recommended settings:
- Who can see your future posts: Friends
- Who can see your friends list: Friends
- Who can look you up using email: Friends
- Who can look you up using phone: Friends
What NOT to Share on Facebook
Never post:
- Full address
- Phone number
- Social security number
- Credit card info
- When you’re away from home (wait until you’re back to post vacation photos)
- Anything you wouldn’t want strangers to know
Be careful with:
- Birthday (year makes you target for identity theft, month and day is fine)
- Information about daily routine
- Photos of grandkids (ask parents’ permission first)
Recognizing Scams on Facebook
Red flags:
- Friend requests from people you don’t know
- Messages saying you won something
- Requests for money from “friends” (account might be hacked)
- Links asking you to log in again
- Too-good-to-be-true offers
If something seems suspicious, it probably is. Don’t click links from people you don’t know. Don’t send money to anyone on Facebook.
Finding Old Friends and Classmates
One of Facebook’s best features is reconnecting with people from your past.
Searching for Old Friends
Steps:
- Use search bar at top
- Type person’s name
- Add additional info like hometown or school to narrow results
- Look through results for right person
- Send friend request with brief message: “Hi! We went to Lincoln High together. Great to find you on here!”
Joining Groups for Your School or Military Unit
Steps:
- Search for your high school name or military unit
- Look for groups (not just pages)
- Click “Join Group”
- Answer any membership questions
- Once approved, you can see posts from other members
Many high schools and military units have reunion groups where classmates stay connected and plan meetups.
Someone in Costa Mesa found her entire high school graduating class on Facebook through the school’s reunion group. Reconnected with friends she hadn’t spoken to in 50 years. Plans reunions through the group now.
Joining Interest Groups
Beyond connecting with friends, Facebook has groups for every interest imaginable.
Finding Groups
Steps:
- Search for your interest (gardening, quilting, local hiking, whatever)
- Look for groups in search results
- Click “Join Group”
- Some groups approve you automatically, others review requests
Popular group types:
- Hobbies (photography, crafts, cooking)
- Local community groups (neighborhood, city)
- Health support groups
- Pet owners
- Grandparents
Groups let you connect with people who share your interests, ask questions, share experiences.
Participating in Groups
Tips:
- Read group rules before posting
- Be respectful and kind
- Ask questions when you need help
- Share your knowledge and experiences
- Ignore drama or negativity
Groups are what you make of them. Focus on positive interactions with people who share your interests.
Managing Facebook Notifications
Facebook will notify you about everything: friend requests, comments, likes, birthdays. It can become overwhelming.
Controlling Notifications
On phone:
- Phone Settings > Notifications > Facebook
- Choose what you want notified about
- Turn off annoying notifications
On Facebook:
- Click bell icon at top
- Click gear icon
- Choose which notifications you want
Recommended:
- Keep: Friend requests, messages, comments on your posts
- Turn off: Likes, suggested posts, random updates
You control how much Facebook interrupts your day. Set it up so you’re not constantly bothered by notifications.
Facebook Messenger: Direct Messages
Facebook Messenger is for private conversations, like texting but through Facebook.
Sending Message
Steps:
- Click messenger icon at top (speech bubble)
- Click “New Message”
- Type person’s name
- Type message
- Send
Messages are private between you and that person. Different from posting on someone’s wall where others can see.
Video Calls Through Messenger
Messenger also does video calls like FaceTime or Zoom.
Steps:
- Open message thread with person
- Click video camera icon at top
- Call starts
- They answer and you see each other
Works well for quick video chats with family, especially if they’re already on Facebook.
Facebook Etiquette for Seniors
Some unwritten rules about using Facebook properly:
Do:
- Be positive and kind
- Share interesting content
- Celebrate others’ good news
- Thank people for birthday wishes
- Keep posts brief and clear
Don’t:
- Post everything in ALL CAPS (looks like you’re yelling)
- Share every single meal you eat
- Air dirty laundry or complain constantly
- Share fake news or unverified information
- Tag people in photos without asking
Commenting tips:
- Saying “Happy Birthday” on someone’s birthday is expected
- Congratulate people on big life events
- Keep comments positive
- If you can’t say something nice, don’t comment
When Facebook Becomes Too Much
Some people check Facebook constantly and it becomes stressful. That’s not healthy.
Healthy Facebook Habits
Tips:
- Check once or twice a day, not constantly
- Set time limit (15-20 minutes max)
- If it makes you feel bad, take a break
- You don’t have to respond to everything immediately
- It’s okay to unfriend or unfollow people who post negative stuff
Facebook should make you feel connected, not stressed or anxious. If it’s not serving you well, step back from it.
Taking a Break
You can deactivate your account temporarily if you need a break. Your profile disappears but nothing is deleted. When you come back, everything is still there.
Steps:
- Settings > Your Facebook Information > Deactivation and Deletion
- Choose “Deactivate Account”
- Follow prompts
We’ll Get You Started on Facebook
If you want to use Facebook to stay connected with family and friends but feel overwhelmed by the setup or confused by how it works, we can help.
What we’ll do:
- Come to your home (or meet online via Google Meet)
- Set up your Facebook account if you don’t have one
- Help you find and add family members and friends
- Show you how to navigate the feed
- Teach you how to post updates and photos
- Review privacy settings to keep you safe
- Answer all your questions
- Make sure you’re comfortable using it on your own
Cities we serve:
- Irvine, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Dana Point
- Aliso Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita
- Lake Forest, Laguna Niguel, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa
- San Clemente, Tustin, Foothill Ranch
- And everywhere else in Orange County
Staying social online shouldn’t be stressful or confusing. Reach out to Teach Me Tech OC, and let’s get you connected with the people who matter most.