Comments about O'Reilly Media Facebook: The Missing Manual:

Facebook as a social media and social networking platform serves as both a social directory and business hub. The amount of information within Facebook that we, as users feed to it, makes it a powerful tool for marketers. It's also a place that can be dangerous if you don't understand how to use it properly.

What I liked about Facebook, The Missing Manual is the clear presentation with information on how to navigate some of Facebook's features. Facebook can be an incredible tool, and many businesses seek exactly the information that's shared in this book, like how to link the website with Facebook, how to engage with people and gain "likes" and also how to set security settings to protect privacy.

One concern I had about the book was whether it would be outdated as soon as I received it. The cool thing that O'Reilly offers is an online edition for 45 days after purchasing the book. There are also thoughts interspersed through the writing that suggest what changes may be for the future within the Facebook platform.

The book has my vote for covering the basics through some of the more advanced features of Facebook. For example, many people get confused over whether to add a page for their business or create a group. There is a huge difference in the way these two choices are viewed by search engines, and Facebook, The Missing Manual does a great job of pointing this out. It also goes into the details of adding Facebook badges to your website. For small to mid-sized businesses, this is great guide to using Facebook's features.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Facebook: The Missing Manual:

Facebook: The Missing Manual
There is no doubt that for many, the Internet is Facebook. it is here where we talk to friends, post images and videos, share our feelings, invite others to events, try to advance our causes and, if there isn't anything better to do, poke each other. there are games, applications that can tell us what the next best book we should buy and ways to find our next date. the ecosystem is almost complete, and in such a vast place it is not always clear how things work.

The third edition of the book brings a vast amount of information. as someone who lives within the Facebook ecosystem I found a few things I never did bother to learn myself - like how to set people as family members. there are tons of tips and tricks and tons of information in regard to the ever changing security settings Facebook give the users.

The book is well written, but it is clear that the aim here is to help those who don't understand the power that Facebook can give them. you will find there information that will help you decide if you need to open a profile or a page and how to go about and really enjoy everything Facebook offers to each type of account. the order of the information make sense and when I came to a section I didn't care for, it was easy enough to move forward and find the next interesting bit.

There should be no doubt - if you are a poweruser this book has nothing to offer you. if you are new to Facebook this book will help you a lot.

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Facebook: The Missing Manual, 3rd edition by E. A. Vander Veer is a notable effort. The speed at which Facebook is changing makes it almost impossible to keep a print edition current, yet the 3rd edition is not only current but the author helpfully points out what is likely to be changing in the near future and how that affects the reader. She has done a good job of pulling together the many aspects of a complex and quickly evolving topic.

Facebook: The Missing Manual is spot on and has a wealth of helpful ideas. It is a good, albeit cursory, overview of what Facebook can do. Her thoughts on security and privacy echo my own in most cases. While I might question the usefulness of some Facebook features or the efficacy of some uses of Facebook (e.g. using Facebook for project management) her presentation would be helpful to anyone wanting to use them.

This one volume covers everything from logging in to using Facebook for job and resume postings. None of the chapters go into technical detail and there is no coverage of development or API topics. In fact, one complaint might be the very cursory nature of the whole text. The step-by-step instructions that fill the book are exceptionally helpful for the beginner, at least until Facebook changes again. Experienced users will be left wanting for depth. In particular, the business chapters provide good ideas but certainly deserve many more case studies.

The book is not for the rank beginner nor is it suited to the social media savvy. The ideal reader here is the digitally literate user or small business owner who wants to make the most of Facebook but doesn't have time to experiment or randomly stumble upon tips. A bit of time here would get a user started out right using Facebook either socially or for business.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book for review

Comments about O'Reilly Media Facebook: The Missing Manual:

Ok, I was hoping, given the publication date, that this book would have some serious advanced Facebook tips and techniques. It was not what I have come to expect from an O'Reilly book.

The writing is good, accessible, easy to read, has a good flow. But I am not the right audience. It would be much more helpful if the target audience was clearly identified, i.e., Users of Facebook, Facebook developers, Facebook service providers, there is a whole Facebook value chain out there and the marketing of this book makes the assumption that end users are the only audience.