Last night we got together with friends and besides their teenage daughter, I was in the company of people who had no idea what Facebook was all about (including my hubby). So here goes me explaining my Facebook knowledge and life to you. FYI – I’m “Greta Perry” on Facebook.

Facebook is a place where you set up a personal profile, sharing as much or little information as you want with the world. This is part of “social networking.” You can share what high school you attended and when you graduated, colleges, organizations to which you belong, religion, political affiliation, where you live etc… People from those groups will search for people and then they can find you. You connect with permission from both parties and now you are “Facebook Friends.” You can write your status at the moment, post pictures or videos, share information about your cause or interests with your “friend.” You can choose how much your friends will get to see. For instance, you may post pictures of your children and only allow certain people to view them.

Then you can join groups and causes on-line and connect with more like-minded people who you may want to connect with by seeing them listed in a group you are in and checking out their profile. If you have a business or product, you can pimp that out on FB too.

Q: Is Facebook safe for children (must be 13 to have an account)?
A: I’m still very skeptical of this as anytime there are pictures or information posted about kids on the internet, you run the risk of them falling into the wrong hands. I’m especially concerned about pictures with “identifiers on the them.” For example, your teen posts a picture of herself in her school cheerleading outfit. If she shares that withe a bunch of people…well…just not necessary I guess, but kids will do it anyways. I’m also worried about pedophiles looking for teens to “friend” with “fake teen” profiles. Yes, I am paranoid that way!

Q: Is Facebook safe for adults?
A: Like I said, you choose what you want to share. There are no guarantees on the web as far as safety – you are an adult – you decide.

Q: What are the benefits of joining Facebook?
A: You can reconnect with old friends. You can stay in touch with your friends and family and share pictures and news this way. You can join a cause or movement on-line. You will find out what everyone else is doing on Facebook (haha).

Q: What are the drawbacks of joining?
A: Time waster!!! Yes, you will get sucked in and waste time. Also, if you play the game “packrat” the world may never see you again! People may also find you that you thought went away from your life or that bring back memories you wanted suppressed.

Q: How much does it cost to join Facebook?
A: Right now it is totally free – so you have nothing to lose. There are rumors that they may charge one day and people will certainly pay (I am convinced).

Q: How difficult is it to start a Facebook profile?
Chulo the Stupor Dog could do it if he had opposable thumbs!