Teaching Facebook

Depending on whom you'd like to share with, there are different ways to share content on Facebook:

• Sharing with a broad audience: Use the share menu that's located at the top of your home page and profile to let others know what's on your mind. You can update your status and share photos, videos, links and other application content. Things you share will appear as posts on your profile, and can appear in News Feed. To control whether or not specific people have the option to view your stories, you can change the privacy settings for each piece of content you post.
• Sharing with a small group of friends: Use the Groups feature to share content with a select group of people, like family members, your soccer team or your book club.
• Sharing with an individual: You can use the share menu at the top of a friend's profile to write or share something on his or her Wall. Friends of your friend will also be able to view your post. If you'd like to share something privately, you can always send someone a private message.

You can tag your friends in your Facebook status and other posts. This feature works when you share content at the top of your home page, your profile or your friends' profiles.

To tag a friend, type the "@" symbol. Select the friend you want to tag from the drop-down menu that appears. You can also tag Pages, events, groups or apps. If the menu appears and you don’t want to tag a name, just continue typing your post and the options will disappear. Note that you can also mention friends in comments using similar functionality.

Tagging allows you to more actively mention your friends and other things you are connected to on Facebook. It also lets you direct a post at specific people while still keeping the conversation open. Friends you tag receive a notification that you have tagged them and Wall story on their profile. They are also notified when someone else comments on the post they are tagged in. People who can see your post will be able to click the link to view the profile, Page, group or event you tag, but only if existing privacy settings allow this.

You can tag people, places, and pages in anything you share.

Anyone can tag you, but if someone you’re not friends with tags you, you’ll always receive a request to approve the tag before it appears on your profile.

Link your Facebook and Twitter accounts here. As a Page admin, you’ll be able to share status updates, links, photos, notes, and events with your followers on Twitter, directly from Facebook. You can choose the kinds of things you want to share both on Twitter and Facebook.

To make commenting faster and easier, we've removed this button. To comment on a post, just press your enter or return key. If you want to create a new paragraph or line break within your comment, press shift+enter on your keyboard.

We worked with the Human Society of the United States on the following tips. For more information, visit humanesociety.org.

Finding a good home for your pet

If you ultimately decide that you cannot keep your pet, you have several options.

Your best resource is your local animal shelter. Most shelters screen potential adopters to make sure that they will be able to provide a safe, responsible, and loving home for your pet.

The easiest place to start your search for your local animal shelter is online at PetFinder.com. Here you can enter your zip code and find a list of animal shelters, animal control agencies, and other animal care organizations in your community. You may also want to look in your phone book. Animal shelters are called by a variety of names, so look in the Yellow Pages under listings such as "animal shelter," "humane society," or "animal control." Public animal care and control agencies are often listed under the city or county health department or police department. You can also call information at 411.

If you have a dog of a specific breed, there may be a breed rescue organization in your area that will accept him and work to find him a new home. Purebred rescue groups are usually run by people with in-depth knowledge of a specific breed. Rescue groups usually keep adoptable animals until they can be placed in loving, permanent homes. To locate a rescue group that specializes in your dog's breed, contact your local animal shelter go to PetFinder.com.

In some cases, breed rescues only work with animal shelters and may not accept pets directly from owners. Be sure to find out as much as you can about the rescue group, and always carefully screen a breed rescue organization before relinquishing your pet. You should make sure the current animal residents appear well-cared-for, that the group screens potential adopters, and that the group offers post-adoption support services. Do not be afraid to ask questions.

Finding a new home

If you decide to try to find a new home for your pet yourself, rather than relying upon a local animal shelter or rescue organization, be sure the animal's best interests remain your top priority. Finding a new home for a pet can be difficult. A "good" home means a home where the animal will live for the rest of his or her life, where he or she will receive attention, veterinary care, proper nutrition, and be treated as part of the family.

If you choose to find a home for your pet yourself, follow these guidelines:

• Advertise through friends, neighbors, and local veterinarians first; then try the newspaper, if all else fails. Your chances of finding a good home are increased when you check references with someone you know.
• Visit the prospective new home in order to get a feel for the environment in which your pet will be living. Explain that the pet is part of your family and that you want to make sure she will be cared for properly and that you want to see how the animal responds to the new home. Screen potential homes carefully.
• Don't be fooled. If anyone refuses to allow you to visit their home, do not place your pet with them. Individuals known as "bunchers" routinely answer "free-to-good-home" ads, posing as people who want family pets when, in actuality, they sell pets to animal dealers. Dogfighters have also been known to obtain domestic animals for baiting through "free to good home" ads. These people are "professionals" who may even bring children or their mothers with them when picking up pets.
• Always be mindful of your own safety when you go to interview potential adopters or if you allow a prospective adopter to enter your home.
• Carefully consider all the elements of the new home: Will your pet get along with small children? Is the family planning to keep the dog chained outside as a watch dog? Will the cat be kept only as a mouser? Does the family have a veterinary reference? Do not be shy about asking questions. Your pet's life and happiness may depend on it.
• Ask for a valid form of identification (preferably a driver's license). Record the number for your records and require the new owner to sign a contract stating the requirements of adoption upon which both parties agree. As part of the contract, require the new owner to contact you if he or she decides at some point that they must give up the pet.
• Have your pet neutered or spayed before he or she goes to the new home. This will make the animal more adoptable and help stop irresponsible breeding.
• If your pet is chronically ill or has behavior problems, it may be difficult to find him a suitable home. A new owner may not be willing or able to deal with these issues, and it may also be difficult for the pet to adjust to a new home. The decision to humanely euthanize such a pet should not be made without thoughtful input from a veterinarian, a behaviorist, and the family, based on how well they believe their companion would adapt to a new home.

Finding a quality home for your pet can be a difficult and time-consuming process. Remember: Your local animal shelter has a qualified staff trained to screen and counsel adopters. Relinquishing your pet to your local shelter may be the best option for you and your pet.

Before you post, look at the audience selector. Use the dropdown menu to choose who you want to share a post with.

 Public (Maximum audience for adults)

 Friends of Friends (Maximum audience for minors)

 Friends (+ friends of anyone tagged)

 Custom (Includes specific groups, friend lists or people you’ve specified to include or exclude)

You'll see this tool wherever you share content, whether it’s a status update or information on your profile.

The tool remembers the audience you shared with the last time you posted something and uses the same audience when you share again unless you change it. For example, if you choose Public for a post, your next post will also be Public unless you change this audience when you post.

If you want to change who you’re sharing with, open the dropdown menu and choose a different audience. Remember: anyone you tag in a post, along with their friends, may see the post.

To make it clear who you’re sharing with at all times, the audience you select appears along with whatever you are saying, every time you share. You can also use the audience selector to change who you are sharing with after you post something.

You can control the default setting for posts you share from the Privacy Settings page. Select one of the four global privacy groupings (Public, Recommended, Friends of friends or Friends Only) in the "Sharing on Facebook" section. If you'd like to further customize these settings, click "Customize settings" and change the setting for "Posts by You."

The "Customize" privacy setting lets you specify who is able and not able to view the content you share. When you choose "Customize," a pop-up box will appear. From the box, you can choose to share with or exclude specific networks, friends, and Friend Lists.

 If you're comfortable making something you share open to anyone on the internet, you can choose Public from the audience selector before you post. Public includes people who are not your friends on Facebook and people who are not in your school or work networks.

When you share or publish content as "Public", it will visible to anyone on the internet. People may be able to find your content through public links, or through their friends sharing content with them. When you publish content as "Public", you should be comfortable with it being open to anyone.

Yes, you can use the audience selector to change who can see any post you make after you publish it. Remember: people you share with can always share your information with others. So, if you change the audience after you publish something this can’t prevent someone who already saw it from sharing it. Also, remember that unless your post is set to Only Me, then anyone tagged (and potentially their friends) may see it, too.