Facebook? Social Networking? What is this stuff all about and how does it relate to Rotary? Here are some answers to these questions.

If you have heard of social networking sites (Wikipedia article [1] - Rotary.org article [2]) like Facebook (Wikipedia article [3]) on the Internet and want to know more, read on and check out the various embedded links in this post.

Although I have been a tentative participant in the Facebook world, it has caught on to the point where it is hard to ignore. There are 350 million Facebook users worldwide with 13.7 million in Canada alone. There are members and former members of our club who are part of this phenomena and there is no doubt that it is a useful tool for networking with friends and groups.

Here are some links at Rotary.org that provide background you can read without opening a Facebook account:

1. Social networks help you find thousands of Rotarians online [4]
2. Using social networking to reach youth [5]
3. Social networking expands Rotary horizons [6]

The first thing you need to do if you want to try this out is go to http://facebook.com [7] and open an account. An account is free and can be deleted later if you decide not to pursue it. Check out How to Permanently Delete a Facebook Account [8] on WikiHow or Facebook's own information page about account deletion [9] if you want to do that.

If you set up a Facebook account, be a little careful about how much information you add to your profile and how you configure what people can see by using the privacy settings for your new account. This commercial site [10] has some good tips on the privacy settings in Facebook. For further information Sophos's recommendations for Facebook settings [11] are worth a look.

Once you have a Facebook account, here are some places you can go to get started:

1. You can add me as a friend. I am here [12].
2. Rotary District 5020 [13], which we are part of, has a Facebook Group.
3. Rotary International [14] has more than 42,000 fans.
4. We have started a Facebook page for our club [15].
5. Rotary Youth Exchange has a Facebook Group [16]
6. End Polio Now [17] solicits donations and support on Facebook.

If Facebook is not your cup of tea, here is something else to check out instead. The other day I came across an alert concerning dihydrogen monoxide [18]. I have discussed this with a scientist in our club who quickly recognized the chemical compound involved. I would not be surprised if our sergeant at arms has questions about this worrisome concern at our meeting next week.