Continuing from the Create A Facebook Account section, and assuming you have Signed (Logged) Out, I will now show you how to Sign (Log) In to your facebook account; so you can then know how to upload a video, create a photo album and apply privacy settings for example.

The first thing you need to do is take your web browser to the facebook homepage (www.facebook.com) and enter your facebook User Name & Password into their respective edit boxes before clicking on the LOG IN button.

Fig 4.0  Enter your facebook User Name & Password into their respective edit boxes before clicking on the LOG IN button

After signing (logging) in to your facebook account look at the links inside the left column and click on the PHOTOS link. Doing so will open up (display) many sub-links including the VIDEO sub-link, which you need to click on before proceeding to click on the ADD VIDEO link (or + UPLOAD VIDEO button). The ADD VIDEO link and the + UPLOAD VIDEO button both take you to the same Video Upload page (Fig 4.2 below).

Fig 4.1  Click on the PHOTOS link, then the VIDEO sub-link and then the ADD VIDEO link to continue




Fig 4.2  DON'T CLICK ON THE BROWSE button yet - Click on the VERIFY, YOUR ACCOUNT link first

When you arrive on the Video Upload page you may be surprised to learn that you can only upload video files that are 100 Megabytes or less in size, or 2 Minutes or less. 100MB or 2 Minutes is nothing these days, especially if a video has been recorded with a Camcorder or WebCam whereby its file size can be more than 200MB and in some cases more than 1 Gigabyte. This is because digital camcorders and webcams tend to record in the AVI video format.

AVI is the rawest (best) but largest of video file formats. Mobile phones tend to record in the MP4 (Compressed) video file format, which is a medium sized video file format, whereas other devices might record in the MPEG2 video file format (for Broadcast Quality) or the WMV (Windows) video file format (for general/compatible use). Video file size in general normally depends on the quality of each recording device and how its quality settings have been set up, plus the actual length of the video recording itself of course.

Anyway! Forget about video file formats for this example (ignorance is bliss!). I will assume you just want to upload a video file regardless and therefore need more than 100MB of storage space for each video you upload. If so, do not click on the BROWSE button yet. Click on the VERIFY, YOUR ACCOUNT link instead. It will allow you to upload video files that are up to 1 Gigabyte or up to 20 Minutes in length once you have verified your Mobile Phone Number. Just follow the steps below.

Fig 4.0  Enter your mobile phone number and then click on CONFIRM to receive a confirmation code via a text message

If you do not want to give your real mobile phone number, for whatever reason(s), just give a mobile number that you do not use that much (i.e. a fake/bogus, but in use, mobile phone number). Saying this, Facebook has never pestered me or my fake mobile phone number!

Fig 4.1  Enter the confirmation code sent to your mobile phone via text message




Fig 4.2  The confirmation code was successful - You can now upload larger video files

If you get an error stating an Invalid Confirmation Code even though you know it to be correct, and typed in correctly, don't worry. Simply refresh the video upload page and all should be well. Refresh the video upload page regardless. It should change to declare a larger upload size, as shown below, whereby you can then click on the BROWSE button in order to upload a larger video file.

Fig 4.3  Click on the BROWSE button in order to upload a larger video file




Fig 4.4  Locate and then OPEN the video file you want to upload

Clicking on the BROWSE button (Fig 4.3 above) brings up the CHOOSE FILE TO UPLOAD File Requester (above) that allows you to browse (search) your computer (or flash drive or cd for example) for a video. In this example I have browsed to my computer's VIDEOS folder, selected (left clicked on) the video called Video0022.mp4 (recorded on my Canon 3.2 Megapixels Digital Camera in the MP4 video file format) and then clicked on the OPEN button. Doing so then uploaded that selected video to my facebook account via the steps below.

Fig 4.5  Click on the AGREE button to continue - This step is only needed on your first ever upload

Fig 4.6  Video file is uploading - DO NOT ENTER ANY INFO OR CLICK ON THE SAVE INFO BUTTON UNTIL THE VIDEO HAS UPLOADED

DO NOT ENTER ANY INFO OR CLICK ON THE SAVE INFO BUTTON UNTIL THE VIDEO HAS UPLOADED - You will thank me for this!! If you DO enter some info about your video and then click on the SAVE INFO button while the video file is still being uploaded you may live to regret it. You may lose that info and therefore have to type it in again, later, when the video has been uploaded. In other words, the video upload process might mess up - You might have to upload the video again or type in your info again; so always wait until the video has been uploaded before entering any info for it.

Fig 4.7  You can enter some info about the video now because the video has been uploaded already

When you video has uploaded (above) continue by entering some info about it. The IN THIS VIDEO edit box allows you to type the names of the people in your video. If they have a facebook account, and more precisely are in your friends list, their name will appear in your video info as a link to their facebook account as opposed to just a text name. TITLE and DESCRIPTION are self-explanatory.

The PRIVACY drop-down menu allows you to specify the group of people allowed to see your uploaded video. FRIENDS ONLY (only direct friends), FRIENDS OF FRIENDS (be careful with this one as it means friends you may not know. They may be friends of your direct friends only), EVERYONE (the default/normal setting. Everyone who has a facebook account can see your video, including weirdos and stalkers) and CUSTOMIZE (only certain people you specify can see your video).

Fig 4.8  Facebook allows you to specify who gets to see your uploaded video

After entering your video info the Your Videos options page will appear where you can do lots more with your uploaded video - Write a comment about it such as "Just Uploaded My Video Everyone", share it with others via e-mail, Tag it (add keywords for it such as "Holiday Video", "John's Speech", etc), Edit it and so on.

Fig 4.9  Facebook allows you to write a comment about your video

Clicking on the BACK TO MY VIDEOS link (not shown here), in the top-left corner of the page, will allow you to see all of your uploaded videos with their related info and options (not shown here).

To get back to your main page click on the HOME link (not shown here), in the top-right corner of the page, if you want to upload more videos, create a photo album and so on. And to get back to your profile page, via the home page, click on your name link (i.e. on the John Cairns link - top-left corner of the page). From there, if you click on the WALL link you will see your uploaded videos and photos together with peoples' comments on them and so on.

Fig 4.10  Click on your PROFILE (Name) link, from your Home Page, to get to your Profile Page.




Fig 4.11  Facebook gives you a WALL whereby friends and so on can comment on your uploaded videos and photos for example

In the above example I have uploaded one video, added a caption (description) to it and then added (5 minutes later) a comment to it. Other people, who I have allowed (Everyone!), can now comment on that uploaded video if they wish to.

Uploading a picture (photo) is roughly the same as uploading a video. From your Home Page, or Profile Page, select the PHOTOS link on the left-side column and then click on the UPLOAD MORE PHOTOS link (below) to continue - You would be uploading more photos if you already uploaded a profile picture (see the previous section for an example of uploading a profile picture).

Fig 5.0  Click on the UPLOAD MORE PHOTOS link to continue

Clicking on the UPLOAD MORE PHOTOS link brings up the following requesters. Simply follow the steps below to create a photo album.

Fig 5.1  Click on the SELECT PHOTOS button to continue




Fig 5.2  Select one or more photos from the file requester (using the CTRL keyboard key) and then click on the OPEN button




Fig 5.3  Photos are uploading - DO NOT ENTER ANY INFO OR CLICK ON THE CREATE ALBUM BUTTON UNTIL THE PHOTOS HAVE UPLOADED




Fig 5.4  A name for the photo album can be entered now because the pictures have finished uploading

At this point the three photos I selected have uploaded and I have entered USA 2009 as my album name, with USA as the location of my holiday. I have left the quality setting on STANDARD and allowed my photos to be seen by EVERYONE. So the only thing left to do now is click on the CREATE ALBUM button.

The next page to appear (below) confirms the upload and allows you to create descriptions for each uploaded photo. In this example I have described each photo and then clicked on the SAVE CHANGES button to save my descriptions. You can click on the PUBLISH button instead but I find it safer to click on the SAVE CHANGES button first and then on the PUBLISH button - Sometimes when you use an option (button) in facebook you end up losing descriptions and so on, hence why it is best to save work first before publishing it.

Fig 5.5  Click on the SAVE CHANGES button first to bring up the PUBLISH button/option




Fig 5.6  My USA 2009 photos (photo album) have been published for everyone to view

Once your photos have been published they become viewable. In this example my USA 2009 photos (photo album) can been viewed by everyone. Clicking on one of my photos will reveal its description and produce a slideshow effect whereby the other photos in that album can then be viewed. To create another photo album I would simply follow the above steps again.

That's it for this section. In the next section I will show you how to find friends, chit-chat to a friend and apply settings.

Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.  As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.