Why Facebook Isn't Just Noise

I recently discovered an easy way Facebook helps me stay in touch with non-profits I care about.  I think most of us agree that reading, "Going to Costco and the dump,"  an actual status update I got, is just noise that we don't have time for.   If there is a post from someone or about something I care about, I usually don't see it among the status updates like the one just mentioned.

You probably already know that many non-profits have Facebook pages that you can "Like" and any updates they provide show up on your newsfeed.   These updates probably get lost among the, "driving kids to soccer" status updates.   However, you can create a "Friend List" where you see updates only from the friends selected for that list.

This gives you the ability to put all of the updates from non-profits you like in one place, filtered out from the updates from your other 300 plus friends.  Here's how you do this:

1. Click the Account drop-down at the top of any page, and select "Edit Friends."

3. Click the Create New List button at the top of the page.

4. Select the friends you want to add to this new list including Pages you Like.

To view updates only from these Friends/Pages:

1.  On your Home, to the right of Newsfeed it says Most Recent, click on Most Recent.

2.  You will now see your  newly created list as an option.  Select it, and bingo, you only see updates from this list.

Once you get this going you will find more and more Pages you want to follow.  So:

How do you add new Friends/Pages to list after it is created:

1. Click the Account drop-down at the top of any page, and select "Edit Friends."

2. Click on your list name which should now appear in the lefthand column.

3.  Enter the name of the Friend/Page you want to add. 

I am just getting started on this, but am loving it.  Here is the list I have under my new "Non-profit List."  Of course, if the list gets to big, it might start getting too noisy,  defeating it's purpose.  In that case, I can create multiple lists perhaps by cause or by local/national/international. 

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Causecase
• Community Environmental Council
• Direct Relief International
• Education Nation
• Environmental Defense Center
• Nicholas Kristof*
• Non-Profits on Facebook
• Philanthroper
• Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara
• Social Change - New York Times
• Storyteller
• United Nations Millennium Change

I'd love to hear which cause related organizations you are following on Facebook. 

*I know this is unusual circumstances for making a case why staying up to date via facebook on your favorite cause is helpful, but Kristof was updating Facebook multiple times a day while in Cario reporting on the riots.  He's one of the main reasons I check Facebook and I am always missing his posts because of all the other meaningless posts on my newsfeed.  With my new list, I won't miss his posts again.  I have over 350 friends and only three of you are friends with Kristof.  You are really missing out!