2 Mistakes People Commonly Make Using Facebook

Facebook, Friends and Photos

Mistake #1 - Not taking full advantage of Facebook's features

Although Facebook is a popular place to virtually chat and keep up to date with friends, the site offers a slew of features you really should take advantage of, like photo sharing. This doesn't mean that you simply upload your photos to your user site and let them sit there. To use photos to network, take Facebook to the next level.

First, take some time to describe what friends are looking at by adding a description to your Facebook photo album. If you took photos at a party or an event, add the date and place. Second, add a description or caption to each of your photos so that every viewer who's who and what's what. Giving your viewers explanations helps them search for specific people or actions, like Bob blowing out the candles or the boss doing a salsa.

Once you've added descriptions to all of your photos, go through and tag select photos. To do this, go into your photos and select people you wish to highlight (like the birthday boy or the hostess) by drawing a box around their image. Facebook will help you identify each of your Facebook Friends in the photos and then they'll be able to find themselves, quickly and easily.

Finally, always consider which photos to make public - and which to keep private. Sometimes, stolen kisses shouldn't be shared with the world. To make sure they aren't, utilize your privacy setting. When you open your photo album and click on Edit Info, you can select whether you'd like everyone, only your friends, your network, or no one to be able to view that specific album. This helps you keep the viewing appropriate.

Mistake #2 - Not actively searching for more friends

Even though photos add an extra special touch to your Facebook account, your friends make the site worthwhile. The more friends you have, the more networking you'll be able to accomplish. What you should avoid is creating your own account and then letting it sit there quietly without any friends.

Facebook offers several ways for you to find and add friends on the site. Not only will Facebook search your email accounts for friends who are already members, it will also let you send invitations to court other friends to the site - which means even more eyeballs on your photos. From there, things can really snowball. As Buzz Lightyear would say "To infinity and beyond!"

Once you've added some friends to your account, Facebook can seek out friends of friends based on who you've already connected with. And lastly, Facebook can search any network you choose to help you find specific individuals in certain groups around the globe. The bottom line: lots of new friends checking out your site and your pics. Who knows where it could lead?

So don't get stuck with a site that doesn't do anything for you. Fully explore all the options Facebook has to offer.