Facebook Education; a book written by Frank Palacio

An estimated one billion people have a facebook account, that staggering statistic probably includes you or someone you know. The utility that was launched in 2004 has become one of the most useful tools to connect and it is also used as an effective marketing instrument. This morning Frank Palacio, a writer with local roots, released a book on Facebook Education. You will be amazed and amused on the different ways to maximize your use of facebook. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Facebook, the social networking juggernaut that has become as universal as the company’s iconic lowercased f, has a new pitchman.  Meet Frank Palacio, a Belizean writer living abroad.  His latest publication is essentially a user’s guide to the website responsible for connecting almost a billion users worldwide.  Palacio’s encouragement?  Promoting a previous volume on his memorable experiences in the classroom.  As a teacher, he disliked the pervasiveness of the burgeoning medium but soon discovered that Facebook also helped him to stay in touch with friends and family virtually anywhere there is an internet hot spot.

Frank Palacio

Frank Palacio, Author, Facebook Education

“The inspiration to write the book Facebook was because I hated the notion of Facebook, a place where you could just post all your business out in public.  I wrote the first book Middle Schoolin’ and I was persuaded by my sister, Angela Palacio, who is a marketing genius.  She told me that I have to promote my book Middle Schoolin’ on Facebook so, there’s nothing like free publicity and Facebook offers that and I’m grateful for it.”

Facebook Education is as much a chronicle of countless hours Palacio has spent on the site as it is a comprehensive look at the addiction of its usage.  Despite its pros and cons, he marvels at the house that billionaire internet entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg has built.

Frank Palacio

“Once I got on Facebook I had so much fun that I started using it not only for marketing but to connect with friends and family and for my relaxation.  Some people have different types of activity that they enjoy, maybe partying, gardening, going out drinking, whatever it is, mine is staying at home relaxing, looking at Facebook pictures and finding out what family and friends are up to.”

Palacio, who launched his book before an audience of bibliophiles at the Image Factory today, says that Facebook has been instrumental in his journey through self-discovery.

Frank Palacio

“I was able to discover more about myself through Facebook and I want to share that knowledge with other people that what it has done to expand my world I’m sure it could do for your world.  Now in terms of getting the material to write the book I noticed that my students were big on Facebook as well as family members and I was getting left behind in this arms race, technology race, right, there’s a parallel somewhat, so I decided that I wanted to really broaden my horizons.  And knowledge is there, it’s free and it’s good and knowledge is power.”

While that knowledge has translated in Facebook Inc. filing an initial public offering of five billion U.S. dollars back in May to troubling results on the stock market, Facebook Education, Palacio hopes, will do well at the bookstores.  It retails for twenty dollars at the Image Factory. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.