Skip to content
Step by Step Internet 🌐 Guides for learning to surf the Net

What is Facebook, how does it work and what products and services does the great Social Network offer us?

UPDATED ✅ Do you want to know what the largest Social Network in the World is and how it works? ⭐ ENTER HERE Discover the Guides ⭐

Facebook is a company founded a few years ago but has been advancing by leaps and bounds. The initial idea was to achieve communication between several people directly, being able to offer various services and even using the platform as a means of getting to know people in multiple fields, but as something secondary.

It is the social network with the most active users that currently exists. It was launched from a Cambridge University room out of a need to connect students to interact with each other. It was designed by mark zuckerbergE. Saverin, A. McCollum, D. Moskovitz and C. Hughes and after some legal controversies and distribution of profits, Zuckerberg is recognized as the leader of the project.

This platform currently allows you to connect with friends who must be previously accepted by the user, you can tag photos and videos and send messages via Messenger. It allows you to create a personal account and another for companies. At present, the advertisements that are contracted in this social network are very effective. Facebook made annual profits of more than 55 thousand millions of dollarswhich is why it has decided to acquire Instagram and WhatsApp, among other platforms.

What is and how does the social network Facebook work? Origin and history

Facebook the social network that changed the Internet

Today practically everyone knows the meaning of what a social network is and many people have created their profiles in some of the best known in the world. Facebook is perhaps one of those that found the key to making a social network an interaction tool on many levels. In fact, this tool is studied in many universities to try to know the keys that have made it an application without which some people could not carry out their day to day. Next, we will know a little more about its history.

All this, yes, taking advantage of the emergence of a web service with increasingly higher quality and which we have in personal computerstablets and even personal mobiles.

The creative ideologue was the well-known mark zuckerbergtogether with some colleagues from the Harvard University. The launch was February 4, 2004. Initially, you could only access this community as a member if you studied at the university, but over time it expanded to other universities, cities and countries, until reaching the level of globality that we have today in which any person, from anywhere, you can have your profile.

In 2006, Facebook begins to know the amount of money that the publication of ads on its site is going to bring, because the iTunes Store offered it a lot of money to be able to capture the musical tastes of its users through its network. That way, you could offer them direct downloads to the songs through your own website.

A few months later, all users in the world are allowed to access this social network, which creates some detractors to Facebook, because according to them, the student base of said tool was lost. Of course, it was the beginning of what is today a remarkable business worthy of study in all kinds of masters.

Later it has joined with Youtube for video integrations on the platform. This opened the sale of a small part of the company to microsoftof 1.6% for 240 million dollars.

Between the years 2007 and 2008, Facebook was translated into many different languages ​​due to its success, including Spanish, multiplying its use and assuming a boom. In his personal war with my space for dominating social networks, in 2009, Fb surpasses this social network in users.

The following years, the network introduced changes, above all, at the level of functionalities for the user and the insertion of tools linked to other platforms and software. The fact is that the most outstanding of all were its financial alliances with great personalities from different backgrounds, with which the market share in terms of users became very high. In this way, It was confirmed that Facebook is a tool for personal, commercial, recreational use…

Below is a temporary bar or TimeLine of all the events and milestones that the brand has gone through, ordered chronologically:

  • 2003, Mark Zuckerberg creates a website called Facemash, where you could review the photos and names of Harvard University students. In a few hours the site was closed, as the university considered that Zuckerberg had stolen sensitive material from the students.
  • 2004, in February of that year, and already out of the University, Mark Zuckerberg spoke with former classmates and took to the web Facebook as a tool to create a web directory of all students. A few months later, Sean Parker, creator of napsterhe noticed Facebook and wanted to enter as CEO.
  • 2006, the year in which facebook reached an agreement with the iTunes Store to allow it to know the musical tastes of the user, so that it can offer a download from its site. That same year, in addition, the network is open to everyone who wants to create a profile within it.
  • 2007, the platform is translated into Spanish. That same year, Facebook sells 1.6% of the company to Microsoft so that it allows its products and services to be offered based on the profiles and data that each user has.
  • 2009Facebook makes public a number of users that means that the use of the platform is impressive: 250 million users.
  • 2011, the way each user wants their data to be seen is slightly changed, introducing the wall system. In this way, each user can upload the content they want, keeping it in a temporary line. This will then be replaced by what is known as a biography.
  • 2012, Instagramthe company behind the popular image retouching app for smartphones, has been acquired by Facebook for $1 billion in cash and stock, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company announced.
  • 2015the social network announces that its share of users is 1.5 billion.
  • 2016facebook buy WhatsApp for about 22,000 million dollars The company Facebook Inc has closed on Monday its acquisition of the WhatsApp mobile messaging service, with a final price of 21,800 million dollars, about 3,000 million dollars more than expected, due to the increase of the value of the shares of the social network in recent months.

Timeline evolution history Facebook

How to download and install the Facebook application?

If you still don’t know one of the best social networks and you want to use it on your smartphone, the first thing you should do is download and install it.

Download and install Facebook on Android

Downloading the software of this immense social network is very simple:

Download Facebook APP for Android

Download Facebook APP for Android

  1. Enter the app store google play.
  2. In the upper search engine (rectangle with white) enter the term “Facebook”; press “enter.”
  3. You will see several results. The first (or among the first) will be the officer, the one who includes his blue and soft icon. Also, you will recognize it because it is called only “Facebook”; does not include anything else. Click on this.
  4. You will go to the window of this software. In it you will find the information that is given about the app as well as screenshots, opinions, etc. At the top you will find a green button that says “Install”; you have to press it.
  5. Automatically, the executable will start downloading on your phone.
  6. You may be warned that the app contains in-app purchases and asked for a payment method if you want to buy something. Our advice is that always skip this step, to save you trouble. Doing so is as simple as, under the payment options, find and press the button that says “Skip this step”. You can safely continue with the download.
  7. When it’s over, the downloaded file will run automatically and FB will be installed on your mobile phone without you having to do anything else.
  8. Then, on your desktop you will have a new iconthe one of the app, which gives you access to it.

Download and install Facebook on iOS

For your iOS device, the process is very similar to the previous one, having to follow the following steps:

Download Facebook APP for ios iphone

Download Facebook APP for iOS

  1. Go to the Apple app store, AppleStore.
  2. With the magnifying glass, look for “Facebook”.
  3. Choose the official app, with the famous icon.
  4. You will access its screen, where you have all the necessary information for you to know a little more.
  5. Among the options, you will find, in the upper area, a button with the word “Install”. press it.
  6. A system dialog box will appear for you to verify your identity by entering your password. Do it.
  7. The executable will download and, once this, it will be installed without the need for you to do anything else.
  8. When the process is finished the app icon will be created on your desktopwhich you will press to start using FB.

How to use Facebook on mobile? Practical guide for beginners

Tips and tricks for using Facebook

We are now going to show you how you can start using the app on your smartphone in a very simple way. An option for users with low-end mobile terminals or a poor connection to Internetis to use the light app of facebook lite.

Registration and login

Once you click on the social network icon, you will enter a screen. This is for you to log in with your account.

If you already have an account

  • Simply enter your associated email or phone number and click on the “Get in”.
  • Next, a new box will appear for you to enter your password; do it. So you can access your profile.

If you don’t have a profile yet

  • Click on “Create Facebook account”.
  • You have to fill out a simple questionnaire with data such as a email, your name, a strong password…

Set up your profile

The next step will be to configure your profile. Depending on the version you are on, the first time you log in you may be redirected directly to log in, but if not:

  • open the app clicking on its icon.
  • You will appear in what is the main screen. Up to the leftclick on the photo of a silhouette.
  • You will have moved to another screen. In it you can:
    • Put a profile picture (and change it):
      1. Click on the button that says “Edit”; is inside the silhouette photo.
      2. From the options, choose what you want place as profile box; It can be a photo, yes, that you can take at the moment or upload from your gallery, but it can also be a video.
    • Put a cover photo: On your profile, behind your profile picture you will find a large rectangular space. Here you can place another image.
      1. Enter the app, in its main window.
      2. Click on your profile picture.
      3. In your profile, click on the “Edit” button that you will see in the upper rectangle, behind your profile picture.
      4. You can choose the content you prefer from your phone gallery, from the photos you have already uploaded to the social network or you are even allowed to make a collage or a 360º photo.
    • Include certain personal data and details: In your profile, by clicking on your photo on the home screen, click on an icon that says “Edit profile”. Here you can also change your cover and username photos.
      • Click on “Add personal data”. Here you will include some free content about yourself.
      • Click on “add data”. Here you’ll answer a few specific questions and turn multiple features on or off to get your basic profile information.
    • Choose your featured photos: When someone views your profile they can enjoy up to five outstanding photos that you choose This way you can let them get to know you a little more.
      1. Go to your profile by clicking on your photo in the main panel.
      2. Click on “Edit profile”.
      3. Scroll down until you find “Featured Photos”. By clicking on the button in this section you can choose those five images that you are most interested in showing about yourself.

Set up your privacy

An essential point so that there are no problems later is that you go through the privacy settings section.

By clicking on the settings icon with three lines to the (right and up) you will be able to access “Settings and privacy”. Since here you will find dozens of details that you can enable or disable, we invite you to take a look in general, especially in the tabs “Setting” Y “Privacy shortcuts”.

In both you will be able to configure a lot of options related to the people who can view your profile, your posts, your friendsif you can be freely tagged, if it can be posted on your wall without your review, and a long etcetera.

Make publications

Surely this is the point that most interests any user of a social network. Posting is really easy.

  1. Enter the app.
  2. In the same main window you have a space for it, above, next to your profile picture. Click on the rectangle that says “What are you thinking?”.
  3. You will go to a new window. You will see that you have many options:
    • Privacy: You can choose who will see what you are going to publish.
    • text box: Feel free to write what you want, without limit. By clicking on it you will see that, in addition to text, you can add a background and some other detail.
    • Photo/Video: You can upload a photo or video that you already have or make them at the moment for that publication.
    • tag friends: By tagging them, typing their name and selecting them, you will make that publication reach them and they will decide to also publish it on their wall or simply reply if they feel like it.
    • Sentiment/activity/sticker: Your publication can be enriched by choosing one of these points, which are already determined.
    • register visit: You will make a publication indicating, by means of a map, that you have been in a place.
    • Camera: Access your camera to create and upload content, including the ability to edit it on the fly.
    • To transmit: If you want to make a live video, this is your button.
    • gifs: You publish a GIF that you can choose after using a search engine.
    • Background color: The background of your text will appear in the color you select.
    • tag event: You can make a post, for example, to remind your friends of an event you plan to attend.
    • ask for recommendations: A publication is made in which you write a request, being able to choose a location.
    • Poll: You will create a survey that your friends can answer.
    • 360º photo: You create an image with this feature.
    • Ready: This point allows you to create a list that will allow others to get to know you very well. You have many to choose from (things I want, things I miss from childhood, quotes that inspire me, people I adore…); you won’t get bored!
    • Support a non-profit organization: You can make an appeal to raise money for one of the many NGOs and associations available. Facebook also makes a donation.

*Many of these possibilities can be combined.

When you have your publication ready you will have to click, at the top right, on “Share“.

Another way to post to your wall is to share content you’re viewing:

  1. On the post you want to share, find and tap the share button, which has an arrow. It’s on the right below the post.
  2. A tab will appear for you to customize your publication. Click on “write post”.
  3. You will appear on the publication screen, being able to choose who sees it, something you want to write, the option to tag and others.

Facebook interactions

Make friends

A social network obviously requires a few friends to interact with and gossip with.

  1. Go to the main screen (the one that appears as soon as you run the app).
  2. Above, centered, you have a search engine. In it you can enter the name of whoever you want and click on “intro” or the magnifying glass.
  3. You will see the results of users, pages, tags and other content that have matches (you can filter the results). It’s a matter of looking around and, when you find someone of interest, click on their photo.
  4. You will go to their profile and, under their photo and name, you will find a button: “Add to my friends”. Click on this and the invitation will be sent. It only remains for the other person to accept your friendship.

*You can use this search engine for pages, famous people, shops…

Block a user (and unblock them)

When you want to block someone, all you have to do is:

  1. Go to your profile.
  2. Click on the icon “Plus”.
  3. Among the options that appear, click on “Block”. FB tells you what the consequences of doing so are.
  4. Press again “Block”.

To unblock:

  1. Enter the settings menu, which is the button on the main screen that is above and to the right, with stripes.
  2. Go to “Settings and privacy”.
  3. From here to “Setting”.
  4. Scroll down to “Privacy”. You will see that one of the options says “locks”. Press.
  5. Here will be the list of users you have blocked. Look for the user you want to unblock and you will see that right next to him you have the option with the button “To unlock”.
  6. FB will ask you to make sure. Click on “To unlock”.

review your biography

As you make friends, upload content, and get tagged, your timeline will start to fill up. Give it a review or it will be a bad option.

  1. Go to your profile clicking on your photo on the main screen.
  2. Under your photo in the new window you will find three icons. One of them says “Plus”; press it.
  3. One of the options is “review biography”; press it
  4. Here you will find publications that you can decide add to your biography or, conversely, hide it. It is very simple since there are two well-differentiated buttons for each of them.
  5. If you continue scrolling down, you will also come to the tag review, where you can decide if you want to appear where other users have tagged you in a manner identical to the timeline content review.

chat

To chat with your FB friends from your mobile you need to download an application called Facebook Messenger or its light version, Facebook Messenger Lite. For it:

  1. Go to the app store.
  2. Use the search engine to enter the name of the app.
  3. Click on the official.
  4. On your screen, click on “Install”. The process is automatic.
  5. You will probably be asked for some permission; give it

From now on, when you enter FB you will see that at the top right there is an icon of a sandwich that will have lit up for you from some panera. Tap it to set up your chat and start talking to everyone.

Tricks and tips that you probably didn’t know about Facebook

Tips for using Facebook

Finally, we are going to look at some cool things we can do in the app and some tips we want you to have to make the best use of it.

Not receiving game invites

Although the madness of games on the social network is over, there are many users who continue to entertain themselves with them. And one of the characteristic aspects that they have is obtaining improvements through invitations to your contacts, something that many hate. If this is your case, pay attention:

  1. Go to the configuration tab. It is located in the menu in the upper area, in the icon of the three horizontal lines.
  2. Scroll down the options until you find and press “Settings and privacy”.
  3. Now click on “Setting”.
  4. You will see many submenus. Go down to the “Notifications”. In it you will find the tab “Notification Settings” which you must access.
  5. Click on “Applications”.
  6. In this window you will see a list with All applications they notify you. Above the list you will find an activate deactivate button that indicates “push notification”. She disable it.
  7. Start going backwards until you get to the “Setting” and scroll down to “Security” to enter “Apps and websites”.
  8. Here you must click on “Nope” on the buttons below “Game and app notifications”.

Put a video or animation as a profile picture

  1. Enter your profile.
  2. Click on the profile picture you have on. That will take you to your profile.
  3. Click on your photo again, where it says “Edit”.
  4. Several options will appear, including choosing a video that you already have in your gallery or recording one right now. You just have to choose the one that interests you the most.
  5. By clicking on the first option you will go to your gallery, where you can choose one of the videos that you have already saved.
  6. If you click on “Record new profile video”, your camera will open for you to start recording.

save data

So that your data is not consumed in a couple of logins, you have a data saving option.

  1. Click on the three striped menu button located at the top right.
  2. Click on “Settings and privacy”.
  3. Go into “data saving”. if you indicates that by enabling this option, images will be reduced in size and videos will not play automatically.
  4. Activate the option “data saving”.
  5. You will see that another option appears. This allows you to decide whether, when you connect to a Wi-Fi network, data saving is turned off, so you can enjoy all the content. If you activate it, the data saving will disappear when connected to WiFi; if you leave it disabled, the data saving is maintained in any case.

Untagged photos

If you do not want to be tagged in other people’s photos, follow these instructions:

  1. Go to the button on the top right of the main screen of your wall and press it.
  2. Go into “Settings and privacy”.
  3. After in “Setting”.
  4. Scroll down to “Privacy” and enter “Biography and labeling”.
  5. The last of the points refers to the review. Here you will find two questions. The first one is “Review posts you’ve been tagged in before they appear on your timeline?” press it
  6. You will be moved to a window with an option that you can enable “label review”. Enable it, and from this point on, any new tag you’ll need to review to decide whether or not to add the content to your wall.

The other question available, if you are interested, is to do a review of the labels that others do is “YOUR” photographs.

nickname your friends

If you want to see a different name for your friends when you chat with them:

  1. Enter the chat (messenger appnecessary to talk to contacts from FB mobile).
  2. Search for the contact you want to give a nickname.
  3. Enter your chat window.
  4. At the top right, click on the information icon (an i enclosed in a circle).
  5. Several options will appear. Click on nickname.
  6. The people you can nickname will appear (the contact and you or, if it is a group chatthe rest of the participants).
  7. Click on “set nickname” next to the contact.
  8. You will go to a window to edit the nickname in which you can enter the one you like.
  9. Click on “Define”.

Find places of interest

Facebook will help you find places that are interesting to you. For it:

  1. Go to the “Settings”, above and to the right, on the icon with three horizontal bars.
  2. Scroll down to see options and click on “see more”.
  3. You will find the menu of “nearby places”. She presses on him.
  4. Here you will see suggestions based on your activity on the platform and the places you frequent.
  5. You also have various options like “Food and drink”, “events”, “What to see and do” Y “consulted places”. Click on any of the options and let yourself be guided.

Facebook Watch

It is an option in which you only watch videossomething like a Youtube. To enjoy the audiovisual content, click on an icon at the top in the shape of a monitor with a triangle inside. Here you can see content from the pages you follow, suggestions and others.

Don’t show your location

If you don’t want your contacts to know your location in chat, do the following:

  1. Go to the “Settings” (three bars at the top right of the main screen).
  2. Click on “Settings and privacy”.
  3. Then in “Setting”.
  4. Go to “Your Facebook information” and click on “Access your information”.
  5. From among the many options listed, scroll down to “location history”. Press.
  6. will be displayed “Your location history”. Click on this option.
  7. In the new window, click on “Erase”.

Save videos to watch later

If you think there are videos you want to watch but can’t at the moment, you can save them for later.

  1. In the entry of the video you want to save, click on the three dots icon at the top right.
  2. Click on “Save video”.

To see them:

  1. Go to “Settings” by clicking on the three horizontal lines on the main screen to the right and above.
  2. You just have to scroll down a bit to get to “Saved”. Click on this menu and you will access your previously saved content, sorted by save date.

Gossip

Want to know who a certain person likes? You can know what their favorite photos are in a very simple way.

  1. Just type, in the search bar “Photos liked by (name of contact to gossip)”.
  2. Press “enter” and immediately the photos to which that person has given a “I like it”.

Photos liked by

People with whom you share something

If you are curious to know with which users of the social network you have things in common, you can search for them (and if you want, add them).

  1. Go to the application settings by pressing about the three bar icon which is located, on the main screen, to the right and above.
  2. Click on “see more”.
  3. Among the new options that appear, click on “discover people”. Users will appear who have something in common with you (friends, where you live, were born, studied or work, who follow some page that you follow, etc).

Social networks