FaceBook

FaceBook.com is an online social networking website that allows users to post online profiles (including photos, information about themselves, messages, blogs etc.) and then connect to other users who share the same interests and experiences.

FaceBook has over 70 million active users from all across the world. In fact, FaceBook is one of the most popular and technologically mature social networks available on the Internet.

FaceBook is used by companies, not-for-profits and individuals.
The fastest growing demographic of FaceBook users are those people aged 25 years old and older. Companies use FaceBook as a recruitment tool and community organisations use FaceBook as an extra avenue to gain further support for and within their communities.

The following Tech Soup article (www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page5504.cfm) has several testimonials from not-for-profit organisations and how they use FaceBook.

For many organisations including New Zealand Maori Internet Society the choice was obvious to use FaceBook due to the societies diverse membership and the need to cater and gain/retain support from the youth sector as well as the retired sectors and everyone in between. Within 24 hours NZMIS noticed a difference in membership from the traditional email and web site lists.

Essentially FaceBook and other reputable social networking web sites allow your organisation to find volunteers, donors and supporters for your organisation as well as promote your organisations objectives, at little or no cost.

If you require a quick start tutorial to establish your FaceBook profile for your organisation this Beginers Guide to FaceBook (www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/archive/2007/05/23/put-your-non-profit-on-facebook.aspx) is a great starting point.