1.1. How Facebook Works

First, you type in your personal and professional information—as much or as little as you’re comfortable sharing. (Most folks add extras such as photos and video clips.) Then, you establish connections with groups of Facebook members, like everybody who went to your alma mater, or everybody who works at your company. Finally, you add individual connections to other members, such as the guys on your soccer team, your next-door neighbor, and the two or three old flames you’re still speaking to. Bingo: instant access to the personal and professional details of all the folks you’re connected to, the folks they’re connected to, and so on. You can think of Facebook as a 500-million-plus-entry searchable Rolodex—on steroids.

The two parts of the site you interact with most often are: