Bio-Link on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=69974178648

Why join Bio-Link on Facebook?

To share links, photos, and videos; for discussions, and to email those who can't get Bio-Link's Yahoo listserv emails.

How to get connected to Bio-Link on Facebook:

1. Create a free account on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com

   Tip: you need to provide gender and birthday information, but you can set the level of sharing you are most comfortable with in Facebook's Privacy Settings. Select who (Everyone, Friends of Friends, or Friends Only) you want to see your information.
    

2. After you create your account, go to Bio-Link's page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=69974178648.
    
3. Click the Join button.

After you join, you will be listed as a member of Bio-Link. (This panel cycles through member photos each time the page is refreshed.)

To see all the members, click the See All link.

To return to Bio-Link on Facebook at a later date:

• Type Bio-Link in the Search box or
• Go to your profile page. Click on the Info tab. A link to the Bio-Link page is listed under the Groups category.

Facebook's Search box.

To post a new message on Bio-Link:

• Go to Bio-Link's wall.
• Type your message in the "write something" box. Click the Share button to post your message.
• To share a web site, image, event, or video, click on the appropriate icon and follow the screen prompts.
   

Image of the area where you type a message to be posted on Bio-Link's wall.

Icons from left to right: link, photo, event, video. Click the appropriate icon to attach to a wall post.

To reply to message on Bio-Link's Wall:

Locate the post you want to reply to.

Click on the Comment link.

Type your response in the text box that appears.

Click the Comment button.

Another way to respond to a posting is to click on the "Like" link. When you do this, your name will be listed as one (or more) members who liked the posting. When you do this, any future response to the posting will be mailed to you, which helps you stay connected to the conversation. If you would rather not be emailed when someone posts a response, you can change this setting:

• Click on Account (located in the right corner of your screen) and select Account Settings.
• Click on the Notifications tab.
• De-select any notifications you don't want to receive. To de-select notification of wall comments, go to the Wall Comments category and de-select "Comments after me on a Wall story."
• Click the "Save Changes" button on the bottom of the page.

Time-saving tips and other recommendations

• Some people say they don't want to join Facebook because it's a time waster. It doesn't have to be. Just like any tool, you control when and how much you use it. Decide certain times or days you will log into Facebook.
   
• If some of your Facebook friends post comments you think is a waste of your time, like "Now I am drinking a cup of coffee," or "Now I am walking down the street," you can keep them in your network but hide all their posts. There are a couple of ways you can do this. The easiest and fastest way is to place your mouse over the post. The word "Hide" appears to the right of the post. Clicking on Hide, will give you a Hide button with your friend's name on it. If you hide your friend's postings, you can always visit his/her wall to see postings. Your friend will not know that his/her posts are not appearing in your feed.

   

• Some people use certain applications on Facebook that you may find irritating or a waste of your time. Farmville and Mafia Wars are two examples I find particularly irritating. There are a couple of ways can ignore these applications. The easiest and fastest way is to click the Hide button that appears next to one of his/her posts, as described above. One of the buttons that appears will have the name of the application. Clicking this button will hide that application but you will continue to receive other postings from this friend.
   
• Lists: lists can be used in a variety of ways. For example, you can decide who in your friend list can view your posts by using a list. To create a list, click on the Friends link located on the left side of your screen. Click on the button called "+ Create a List" at the top of this page. A window appears where you can give your list a name and select the people you want on this list.

  Lists can be used for: posting a message (click on the lock icon next to the Share button), sending an email (type the name of the list in the "To" field), or sending an invitation to an event.
   

• The difference between Top News and Recent Posts:
  

  "Top News aggregates the most interesting content that your friends are posting, while the Most Recent filter shows you all the actions your friends are making in real-time." - From Facebook's Help Center

• If you receive an email from "Facebook" asking you to reset your password, delete the email and don't click on the link! Facebook never sends out email asking you to reset your password.
   
• If you have a mobile phone such as an iPhone, download the free Facebook application. Using this mobile phone application can help you save time staying up-to-date while you are waiting in line at the grocery store, etc.
   
• To access Facebook's Help Center, go to: http://www.facebook.com/help
   
• Privacy resource: http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/facebook
  This site isn't functional right now with Facebook's new privacy settings. The web site indicates that it will be updated at some point.