Facebook: The Missing Manual, 2/e (Paperback)

How-to Create a Facebook Event
By E. A. Vander Veer

Whether you want to host a product launch party, start a study group at the local coffee shop, or have a community meeting, it’s easy to set up your own events on Facebook. Here’s what you do:

1. On your Home page, click the Events link.

Note: If an event is closely tied to a Facebook Group you created or that you’ve been made administrator of—you want to set up a monthly face-to-face meeting of yourbook club, for example—you’ll want to head to your Group’s profile page, click Create Group Event, and then follow steps 3–8 below. Doing so tells Facebook that your Group is hosting the event and lets you invite all the Group’s members in one fell swoop by turning on the checkbox next to “Invite Members of the host group [your Group’s name]” that appears on the “Step 3: Invite Friends” tab (see step 8).

2. On the Events page that appears, click the “Create an Event” button.

3.On the “Step 1: Create Event” page, fill out as many of the fields as possible. You have to fill out some fields—like the event’s name—but you should fill in as many of the other fields as you can. Doing so makes events easier for people to find, because they can search on every word you add. It also encourages people to RSVP, since the more people know about an event (and the better you make it sound), the more likely they are to attend. Make sure you pick an event name you like, because after you create your event, you can’t change what it’s called. (You can, however, delete the event and create a new one with a different name.)

4. Decide how open you want your event to be. Facebook assumes you want to plan an open event that everyone on the site can view and attend, and that all attendees can contribute to by uploading photos, videos, links, and Wall posts. If that’s fine with you--for example, if your event is one that’s open to the public and is listed in the local newspapers, or is an attend-in-spirit-only kind of event--you don’t have to do a thing. Otherwise, you need to click the Privacy drop-down list and choose either Closed or Secret. For most face-to-face events, you’ll want to choose Closed so you don’t get a bunch of riffraff showing up. If you have a very specific, finite guest list and the event is private (such as a business meeting or intimate birthday gathering), choose Secret; that way, you can invite just the folks on your list and not have to worry about strangers requesting invitations.

5. Click the Create Event button. Facebook posts a bare-bones version of your event on the site that people can find in searches (unless you made the event secret).

6. On the “Step 2: Add Details” page that appears, browse for the image file you want to appear on your event listing, and then click Upload Picture. Technically, this step is optional, but an appropriate and clever photo, drawing, or logo will make your event’s listing a lot more appealing.

7. Add as much additional info as you want, tweak a few settings, and then click the “Save and Continue” button. You don’t have to go hog wild, but adding a description and choosing an event type goes a long way toward helping folks find your event.

8. Invite some guests. Facebook lists your friends and Friend Lists on the “Step 3: Invite Friends” page that appears, so all you need to do is choose who you want to invite and then click Send Invitations.

Note: Facebook events are supposed to be for your friends (or for the members of Groups you’re in charge of). So you can’t invite Facebook members to events unless they’re your friends—but you can invite pals who aren’t yet Facebook members. To do so, on the “Step 3: Invite Friends” page, head to the “Invite People via Email” field and type in email addresses separated by commas, and then click Send Invitations.

You can change your event after you create it. First, display the event’s profile (on your Home page, click the Events link and then, when the list of your events appears, click the name of the event you want to change). Then, on the right side of the event’s profile page, click one of the options, such as “Edit Event”, “Invite People to Come”, or “Cancel This Event”.