To Sign up for a Facebook account go to http://facebook.com
Enter your details and click the green “Sign Up” box.
You will then see two words that you have to enter.
Facebook's “Terms and Conditions” and “Privacy Policy” are available by clicking on the small text under the green “Sign Up” box. If you agree to them then enter the two words and click on the green “Sign Up” box.
Facebook wants to check the address list in your email account to see if any of your contacts are already on Facebook. This would require giving Facebook your email account password. Never give anyone your email password. Click on “Skip this step” at the bottom right.
You can fill out information about yourself if you wish. Consider any information revealed here as being made public to the world. It may help you find people you know of Facebook. Feel free to click on “Skip”.
If you wish to upload a photo of yourself (or something else) click on “Upload a Photo” to use a photo already on your computer. I suggest having a photo of something.
Click on “Browse...” and select the photo you wish to upload.
It may take a little while to upload the picture.
The photo is uploaded. Click on “Save & Continue”.
Congratulations! You are now on Facebook.
Scrolling down shows a number of things you can do. Click on “Control what information you share”, i.e. item number 5.
This is worth a look. Note at the top that your account is not yet confirmed. Go to your email account for the email address you entered when signing up.
You will have two new emails from Facebook. Look at “Welcome to Facebook”.
You can click from this email to do these things on Facebook if you get lost on the Facebook site.
Look at the other email “Just on more step to get started on Facebook”. To verify your email address click on the long blue link next to the Facebook “f” symbol that starts with “http://www.facebook.com/confirmemail.php”.
You will be taken back to Facebook. You email address is now verified. Click on “News Feed” in the left hand side bar (the column on the left).
This is where you will see the activity of your friends on Facebook. You currently have no Facebook Friends, so nothing is here. This page is usually the first page you see when you log in to Facebook. Now click on “Profile” in the top menu towards the right between “Home” and “Find Friends”.
This is the “Info” part of your Profile Page. By default this info can be seen by your friends. Your “Sex” can be seen by anyone. Click on the “Wall” tab, to the left of the “Info” tab immediately under your name.
This is your “wall”. Things that you do on Facebook will appear here and on your Friends' News Feeds. You and your friends can write on your wall. Click on “What's on your mind?” so you can write something on your wall.
Type a message.
Press “Enter”.
You need to select who can view this message. I have chosen “Everyone”, but you might like to select “Only Friends”.
Read this and then click “Close”.
Read this and then click “Continue”.
Your message (“status update”) appears on your wall. Your most recent status update also appears next to your name near the top of this page. It will also appear on the News Feeds of your friends. Facebook has extensive help pages. Click on “Help” at the bottom left. Instead you could click on “Account” at the top right and then on “Help Centre” in the menu that appears.
Click on any topic that you need help with. For example, click on “Friends”.
If you want to know how to add a friend, click on “How do I add a friend?”
The answer will expand underneath the question.
Let's try a search like it suggests. Type a name in the top search box and press “enter”.
It's not so easy to find someone if you do not have any friends in common.
Try finding a group that has people you might know. Type the name of a group and press enter.
Now click on “Groups” in the left side bar.
If this did not work, try searching for the group again after you clicked on “Groups”. Now click on the name of the group.
You will be taken to the group. Scroll down to see the people in the group.
Click on “See All” to see all of the people in this group.
Scroll down in the box to find people you know.
Click “add as Friend” next to someone you want as a friend.
If you want to add a message to them click on “Add a personal message...”
Write your message and click on “Send Request”.
Enter the words.
Click “Send Request”.
You will be taken back to the list of Friends. You will become Friends once the other person confirms that they are your friend. This can take seconds, hours, months... and might not happen at all. Depending upon when the other person responds. Click on the name of someone you know.
Scroll down to their list of friends.
Click on “See All”.
Click on “Add as Friend” next to people you know and repeat the process above to send a friend request.
Wherever you are on Facebook you can click on “Home” at the top right (next to “Profile”) to return to the Welcome Page Click on “News Feed” in the left hand side bar (the column on the left).
Your news feed now contains the message you entered before and also any pages that you are a fan of.
To log out click on “Account” at the top right. A menu will appear. Click on “Logout” at the bottom of that menu.