Get Connected: How to Make the Most of Digital Scrapbooking and Facebook
Nicole shares all the great ways to use Facebook as a memory keeping tool
Mmm—technology. If you’re reading this, chances are that you are in love with it. I know I am!
You know those horror stories of kids racking up hundreds of dollars in internet charges back in the old days? Well, I was one of them . . . back in 1986. (That’s right—I was freaking out my parents long before it was common to hear about stories like this!) This was back before AOL was even AOL. (It was called Q-Link.) My poor dad . . . he received a $400 bill in the mail and almost had a heart attack. The charges piled up when things used to cost 8 cents a minute! Man, I loved that Commodore 64. Good times!
So, after a story like that, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that I’ve been on Facebook for a long time, too. I wasn’t one of the first people to join . . . only because I wasn’t in college at the time! But shortly after it opened up to the general public, I was there.
I’ve seen Facebook go through a lot of changes and usually for the better! One thing I love about the way Facebook is now is getting to interact every day with friends in our digital scrapbooking community and how Facebook helps keep us all together.
We’ve already talked this month about how you can keep up with the SSD Designers via sites like Facebook, which is a great way for you to hear our latest news and get to know us better. Today we are going to take a different tack in talking about Facebook and look in to some of the ways that you can use your own account to enjoy your hobby even more!
Why Scrappers Love Facebook:
I went over to Facebook and I asked some friends for their thoughts on why they like sharing their digi-life stuff on their wall. Here’s what they had to say:
“I like to share here so family & friends get an idea what digi actually is and how beautiful it can be. So many people just have no idea what I do.” – Megs (a/k/a Flergs)
“It’s so nice to get immediate feedback!” – Heather T.
“I’m all about the instantaneous, fastest, and easiest way to communicate and still share what I love with my family & friends.” – Andi W.
“Because I can share my pages here with my friends and family, and help others see how easy it is to document their memories with digi.” – Jen (a/k/a NeverendingJen)
“‘Cause it makes my mom happy!” – AnneOfAlamo
“I love being able to share my pages with my family and friends who are not on the digi sites that I am a member of.” – AmberK
I love all these reasons! These are the things that make Facebook fun—the liking, the sharing, the family and friends. It’s natural to want to add our digi pages to the mix!
How to Use Facebook to Share Your Pages:
So, how exactly can you make use of Facebook’s tools to share your pages? Here are a few tips!
Albums:
If you’ve ever uploaded photos to Facebook, you’ll probably be familiar with the fact that you can organize your uploads into different albums, like this:
You’ll see that I have an album just for our trip with my sister-in-law to the Magic Kingdom. That’s probably something you’ve already done at least once. But what you may not have tried is uploading your layouts to Facebook—in effect, making your own gallery!
I have also created several albums on Facebook to hold photos and uploads of all my scrapbook pages. I especially love doing this for my Project Life pages. Everything is so nice and neat in it’s own little gallery. If someone were to ask me about my scrapbook, I have one place I can link them to!
Here are some additional Facebook tips and ideas for you:
- Try uploading just one page at a time. If you add more than one, Facebook will group them together in the newsfeed of your family and friends. If you’re posting to share your work, then try to stick to one upload at a time so people have a chance to actually see it!
- Credits are always appreciated—but time is short, am I right? My favorite way to post credits is to first upload to my gallery here at SSD with a full list of credits and links for those who want to know. Then, once that’s done, I grab the link to my page and I simply post it in the description for my page when I post it on Facebook. For those who want to know more, they have a way to get the info. For those who couldn’t care less because they just want to see our work, they don’t have to be overwhelmed with a long list of just who made what!
- Remember than you can always organize your pages to put them in any order you like with a simple click, drag, and drop!
Like so:
I also love that I can go to my Facebook album and see thumbnails of my pages. It helps a lot when I’m thinking of where to put my number card and what colors I should be avoiding (since I’ve used them a lot already)!
Groups:
Another fun way to share your pages on Facebook is to join a Group! Here are a few that I’m a part of that relate to scrapping:
It can be really encouraging to be a part of a smaller group of people who really “get” what you’re all excited about. I love being a part of these groups. It’s especially fun when I have something to share, like a link or an article. I know I can share it with these friends, and they will be happy to see it!
Groups are also a GREAT way to get inspiration! It’s like having a gallery . . . in your newsfeed!
Another great place to get inspiration is by following your favorite designers on Facebook! Many designers have taken to using Facebook’s Page Galleries to upload lots of layouts for each of their kits, like here on Zoe’s page:
Often you will see a notice in your newsfeed about a designer making a new album. But if you miss the news and you start thinking to yourself, “You know, I’d like to see more pages made with this kit . . .” remember to check the Facebook Fan Pages of your favorite designers! You’re likely to find lots of pretty layouts and inspiration waiting for you there, all nice and neat in their little albums!
How to Get Scrappy with Your Facebook Page:
When Facebook changed over to it’s new Timeline format, one of the things that digital scrapbookers got giddy about was the new place for a cover image. It’s the perfect spot to show off your favorite photos AND your favorite kits!
When I found this photo hiding on my husband’s camera, I couldn’t resist using it for my timeline cover, along with some journaling cards from Mari’s Today 2.0 collection:
I’d wager that out of all the millions of people on Facebook, us digi girls have got to have the PRETTIEST timeline covers. We know how to digitally decorate, don’t we?!
How to Use Facebook in Your Memory Keeping Process:
I should also take a minute to mention how Facebook can be used in your actual memory keeping process!
When you think about it, Facebook is like a living scrapbook. You have your photos . . . your updates . . . your posts.
Sometimes the only way I can keep track of things when I fall behind with Project Life is to go and look at my own wall and see what I’ve been talking about. Those things will trigger memories and put everything back in its place so I can remember exactly what Wednesday it was when this moment happened:
That’s right. The Revolutionary Zombie Apocalypse! A true moment to remember in American History.
Get Connected, Stay Connected
Facebook. It can be such a wonderful tool!
What are some ways that YOU love to use Facebook to share your favorite hobby with your family and friends? Do you have any other tips for us? I’d love to hear them—so be sure to let us know!
