Facebook is a free social networking website, which allows you to various things both personally and for your business. These include:

• Create personal profiles and brand profiles (known as Pages or Fanpages).
• Upload photos and videos, including those recently live-streamed.
• Become friends with other users.
• Send messages to other users.
• Share interesting links.
• Create groups, where users with familiar interests can find each other.
• Create events, which promotes an event and where you can track the number of guests and talk to them.

It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his roommates in 2004. Initially, it was a website for Harvard students. But as it grew, it allowed students from other universities to use it, leading to Facebook finally being open to everyone.

At first, it only featured personal profiles. But with the passage of time it opened up for brands, which started to use it for marketing purposes. Now Facebook allows users to promote their Pages with paid advertisements and sponsored posts.

Brands found Facebook extremely helpful in reaching their customers, starting direct conversations, and promoting their products and offers. Thanks to the multiple solutions that Facebook provides, brands can easily expand their activity or specifically target local customers. Owners of Pages also have access to insights about the results of their organic and paid activity.

As of the first quarter of 2016, Facebook has 1.65 billion monthly active users.

Read more:

1. Who is on Facebook?
2. How to create my Facebook Page?
3. What should I post on my Facebook page?