Vagabond Life

There are many strategies on how to use Facebook to a traveler’s advantage, but it’s the most basic rules that many get wrong.  For a traveler, Facebook can be a great resource; a mix between an address book, the yellow pages, and a travel guide.   By finding and connecting with old friends and acquaintances, a traveler not only gains a source of valuable local “intel”, but often also a supporting local friend.  People are usually proud of the places they live in and are happy to show visitors their home from its best side.  Most of the time, it’s a few snippets of wisdom, sometimes a great lunch, sometimes a guided tour and a renewed friendship.

But there are some rules to get found by old acquaintances and grow your network.  In general, you should do everything to be recognized on Facebook by your old acquaintances.  They might not remember your last name or can’t “picture your face” after 15 years.  Remember, if an undesired person finds you, you can just ignore their friend request and you usually won’t be bothered again.  So there’s no reason not to put your best “face” forward!   Here are the rules, a few Do’s and Don’ts:

Use all your names

Use your correct name, last name, and indicate your maiden names – same rules as for the nametags at the high school reunion.  You might even consider using old nicknames.  If you’re not a filthy rich South American afraid of kidnapping, you should throw out all possible names to be recognized by your high school colleagues.

Put up a photogenic picture

Use a picture in which you can be identified, or at least set apart from the other Joe Johnsons in this world.  This sounds basic but many users don’t get it.  Do this; count the number of your friends that have a profile photo of their baby, car, or favorite comic character.  Now try to imagine, how a different friend of yours, who met them at one of your parties, would recognize them.  I stumbled upon a woman with whom I had well over a hundred friends in common.  She had a very common American name, so I couldn’t put a face to the name.  Unfortunately, her photo didn’t help at all: her profile picture was a photo of a very ugly one-eyed dog!

Enter schools and universities

Your history definitely helps identify you.  List all schools, as well as former employers, because people associate and identify by such commonalities – a no-brainer!

Keep current and home cities updated

You have a better chance to be identified, if you are Joe Johnson from Tuscaloosa than just the average Joe…  Of course, once you are at your destination, changing your current city helps friends living near to realize and help you out.  You’d be surprised, but I had many chance encounters with old friends who happen to be in the neighborhood.  Some users actually post something that identifies them to be at a certain location.   For example, “arriving at JFK after 10 hours…”

Facebook is a great tool for the serious traveler.  Doing everything to be identified and to connect to old acquaintances and friends can have great benefits.  Often it’s only a piece of advice or a lunch, but sometimes it a great experience and a renewed friendship.