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Facebook for Beginners V2 · 10 Lessons

Facebook for Beginners

Learn how to use Facebook confidently and safely. This course explains profiles, friends, posts, photos, privacy, groups, Pages, Messenger, Marketplace and scam protection in plain New Zealand English.

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Course Overview

This practical course is designed for new Facebook users, older learners, community groups, small businesses and anyone wanting safer social-media skills.

10 Lessons

Clear beginner lessons covering Facebook's main tools.

Self-Paced

Complete the course at your own speed.

10 Tasks

Practical exercises in every lesson.

2 Quizzes

A quick check and final course quiz.

What You Will Learn

Complete the lessons in order or choose the Facebook skill you need.

1. Getting to Know Facebook

Understand the Home feed, profile, notifications and menu.

2. Your Profile and Friends

Set up your profile and manage friend requests.

3. Home Feed and Reactions

Understand posts, comments, reactions, sharing and saving.

4. Creating Posts and Photos

Write posts, add photographs and choose the right audience.

5. Privacy and Security

Protect your account and control who sees your information.

6. Messenger Basics

Send private messages, photographs, voice messages and calls.

7. Groups, Pages and Events

Use Facebook for communities, organisations and local events.

8. Marketplace Basics

Buy and sell carefully using Facebook Marketplace.

9. Scams and Fake Accounts

Recognise scams, copied profiles and misleading information.

10. Everyday Facebook Confidence

Develop a simple and useful weekly Facebook routine.

Your Course Progress

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LESSON 1

Getting to Know Facebook

Understand what Facebook is and where to find its main tools.

What Facebook Is

Facebook is a social network. People use it to keep in touch, share photographs, follow community news, join groups, advertise businesses and send private messages.

Main Facebook Areas

  • Home: Posts from friends, groups and Pages.
  • Profile: Your personal Facebook page.
  • Notifications: Alerts about comments, tags and activity.
  • Menu: Access Groups, Marketplace, Pages and settings.
Practical tip: Facebook changes its layout from time to time. Look for familiar symbols rather than relying only on button positions.
Practical task: Open Facebook and identify Home, your profile picture, Notifications and Menu.
LESSON 2

Your Profile and Friends

Create a clear profile and connect with people you know.

Your Facebook Profile

Your profile may include your name, photograph, cover image, introduction and selected personal details.

1
Tap your profile picture or name.
2
Select Edit profile.
3
Add a suitable profile photograph and introduction.
4
Check who can see each personal detail.

Friend Requests

Accept friend requests only from people you know or can verify. A copied account may use a familiar name and photograph.

Safety check: Look at mutual friends, recent posts and whether you are already connected to the person.
Practical task: Review your profile and remove one unnecessary public detail.
LESSON 3

The Home Feed and Reactions

Read and respond to posts without accidentally oversharing.

The Home Feed

Your Home feed may contain posts from friends, groups, Pages, advertisements and suggested content.

Common Actions

  • Like or react: Give a quick response.
  • Comment: Write a reply beneath a post.
  • Share: Repost or send content.
  • Save: Keep a private bookmark.
  • Three-dot menu: Hide, report or save a post.
Example: A local road-closure post may be useful to share. A family photograph may be better commented on rather than shared widely.
Practical task: Save one useful post and find it later under Saved.
LESSON 4

Creating Posts and Adding Photos

Share updates clearly and choose the correct audience.

Create a Post

1
Tap What's on your mind?
2
Write your message.
3
Add a photograph if useful.
4
Check the audience: Public, Friends or Only me.
5
Read the post once more, then select Post.

Better Photograph Posts

  • Choose one strong photograph.
  • Write a useful caption.
  • Ask permission before posting photographs of other people.
  • Avoid showing addresses, passwords or private documents.
Photography tip: Keep your original full-resolution photograph separately because Facebook compresses uploaded images.
Practical task: Create a Friends-only post with one photograph and a short caption.
LESSON 5

Privacy and Security

Control who sees your information and protect your login.

Important Privacy Controls

  • Who can see future posts.
  • Who can send friend requests.
  • Who can find you using your email or phone number.
  • Who can post on your profile.
  • Who can see tagged posts.

Account Security

  • Use a strong and unique password.
  • Turn on two-factor authentication.
  • Review where you are logged in.
  • Never give anyone a login code.
  • Keep recovery details current.
Important: Facebook support will not need your password sent through Messenger.
Practical task: Open Settings and check two-factor authentication and active login sessions.
LESSON 6

Messenger Basics

Send private messages, photographs and calls safely.

Using Messenger

Messenger allows you to send text, photographs, voice messages, files, reactions, voice calls and video calls.

Good Messenger Habits

  • Check the recipient before sending.
  • Do not casually send banking or identity information.
  • Be careful with message requests from strangers.
  • Block and report obvious scams.
  • Remember messages can be screenshotted.
Example: For a booklet order, confirm the buyer's name, quantity, delivery method and total price.
Practical task: Send a trusted person a short message and one photograph.
LESSON 7

Groups, Pages and Events

Use Facebook for communities, interests and organisations.

Groups

Groups bring people together around a location, interest or purpose. Groups may be public or private.

Pages

Pages represent businesses, organisations, creators and projects. People follow Pages rather than becoming friends with them.

Events

Events provide dates, times, locations and attendance options such as Interested or Going.

Community tip: Read group rules before posting.
Practical task: Review one local group, follow one trusted Page and save one event.
LESSON 8

Marketplace Basics

Buy and sell carefully through Facebook Marketplace.

For Buyers

  • Read the full description.
  • Inspect photographs carefully.
  • Check the seller's profile.
  • Ask about faults and collection.
  • Be cautious with deposits.

For Sellers

  • Use clear and accurate photographs.
  • Describe faults honestly.
  • State price and pickup location.
  • Do not trust payment screenshots.
  • Check your own bank account before releasing goods.
Common scam: A buyer says a courier will collect the item and asks you to pay an insurance or account-upgrade fee.
Practical task: Compare three similar Marketplace listings.
LESSON 9

Scams, Fake Accounts and Misinformation

Pause and verify before clicking or sharing.

Common Warning Signs

  • Urgent threats or pressure.
  • Requests for passwords or login codes.
  • Unusual requests for money.
  • Misspelled website addresses.
  • Unexpected prize claims.
  • Emotional stories with no reliable source.

The STOP Check

S — Stop

Do not click, pay or forward immediately.

T — Think

Does the request make sense?

O — Open Independently

Use the official app or website.

P — Phone or Verify

Contact the person another way.

Never share a two-factor login code.
Practical task: Check the source and date of a recently shared post.
LESSON 10

Everyday Facebook Confidence

Build a simple routine that keeps Facebook useful.

A Sensible Weekly Routine

  • Review notifications.
  • Reply to genuine messages.
  • Check friend requests carefully.
  • Unfollow unwanted content.
  • Review useful group and Page activity.
  • Check security alerts.
Healthy-use tip: Decide what Facebook is for in your life and follow content that supports that purpose.
Final practical task: Unfollow one noisy source, check one privacy setting and save one useful post.

Quick Knowledge Check

1. What should you check before publishing a post?
2. What should you do with an unexpected request for a login code?

Final Course Quiz

A score of 8 out of 10 shows a sound beginner understanding.

1. A Facebook profile mainly represents:
2. Before accepting a friend request you should:
3. A comment is usually:
4. The audience selector controls:
5. Two-factor authentication protects:
6. Messenger is used for:
7. A Facebook Page suits:
8. Before releasing a Marketplace item:
9. When a message creates panic:
10. Unfollow allows you to:

Facebook Glossary

Audience: People allowed to see a post.
Block: Prevent an account from contacting you.
Comment: A reply beneath a post.
Feed: Content displayed on Home.
Follow: Receive updates from a person or Page.
Friend: A mutual personal connection.
Group: A community space.
Messenger: Facebook's private messaging service.
Notification: An activity alert.
Page: A presence for a business or organisation.
Profile: A person's Facebook identity.
Reaction: A quick response to a post.
Share: Republish or send content.
Tag: Link someone to content.
Two-factor authentication: An extra login security step.
Unfollow: Stop seeing posts without unfriending.

Course Complete 🎉

You now have the core skills to use Facebook more confidently, privately and safely.

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