Facebook Is Big on the Key Peninsula

Don Tjossem, KP News

The Key Peninsula News has its own Facebook page with over 2,500 followers and posts are regularly updated on important events on the Key Peninsula even before they appear in the paper. Go to www.facebook.com/KeyPenNews

The use of Facebook by Key Peninsula residents and how it affects them may be overlooked if one has not checked it out lately. When one considers that just a single Facebook page on the Key Peninsula has over 6,500 members, it’s worth asking, “Am I missing something?” The fact is that you may be. It’s free, there are a few noninvasive questions to answer, and you’re in. No information is posted about you unless you allow it.

The main administrator and a moderator for one popular Key Peninsula site is Susan Freiler Mendenhall, a longtime KP resident. “Our Key Peninsula Washington group is the largest and it’s the only one that tries to be a family-friendly resource for the KP and beyond,” she said. The forum includes topics such as reuniting pets and livestock with their owners, supporting local fundraisers and sharing information or assistance with group members.

“We’re extremely lucky to have a member like Pierce County Rep. Derek Young, who regularly chimes in with answers to county-related questions,” Mendenhall said. “Our 26th district representative, Michelle Caldier, also participates and is so genuine with her offers of personal assistance. The Key Peninsula fire chief, Guy Allen, completes the trio of officials who participate regularly in our group.”

Chief Allen also posts a column on the Key Peninsula Fire Facebook page summarizing the week’s activities of the department and any changes that are taking place. There are also timely postings on accidents, road closures and fires.

The Facebook page Gig Harbor Buy Sell Trade has over 21,000 members, with over 20,000 items listed for sale, all the way from bottle stoppers to automobiles. A smaller Key Peninsula Buy and Sell page has over 4,000 members. All purchase arrangements are between buyer and seller.

There is also a Facebook page for the Peninsula School District Class of 2030, intended to support the parents and guardians. It is a place to ask questions and share information. Membership is limited to parents and guardians of the class of 2030 and there are nearly 300 members already.

The same security issues relevant to the internet at large apply equally to Facebook. There is one basic rule for privacy: Don’t post anything on Facebook you don’t want to see on television or in the newspaper. Facebook offers its own guidelines for parents of children using the site (minimum user age is 13). Go to newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/12/hard-questions-kids-online.

Facebook is here to stay, with over 2 billion monthly users around the world. For more information, go to www.facebook.com.

A PARTIAL LIST OF KP FACEBOOK PAGES

Organizations:

Bluegrass Minstrels

Fresh Food Revolution

Key Peninsula Civic Center

Key Free Clinic

Key Peninsula Crime Watch

Key Peninsula Fire

Key Peninsula Health and Professional Center

Key Peninsula Historical Society

Key Peninsula Little League

Key Peninsula News

Key Peninsula Parks and Recreation Foundation

Key Peninsula Swap Meet

Key Peninsula Veterans of Washington

KP Cares

Lake Holiday, WA

The Longbranch Foundation

Longbranch Improvement Club

Peninsula School District

Peninsula Light Company

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office

PSD Class of 2018 Parents and Guardians

PSD Class of 2030

Taylor Bay Beach Club

Two Waters Arts Alliance

WayPoint Church

YMCA Camp Seymour

YMCA Camp Colman

Businesses:

Buck’s Steakhouse and Sports Bar

El Sombrero Mexican Restaurant

Gnosh

Key Center Chiropractic

Key Center Food Market

Key Medical Center

Local Boys Fruit and Produce

The Snack Shack

Sweet Jane

Online Groups:

Buy Nothing Key Peninsula

Key Pen Gardeners

Key Peninsula Birding

Key Peninsula Buy and Sell

Key Peninsula Farm and Garden—Buy Sell Trade

Key Peninsula Net

Key Peninsula WA

• There are over 2 billion active users on Facebook worldwide.
• Facebook has over 20,000 employees.
• The net worth of Facebook is over $1.5 trillion.
• Shares of Facebook are traded daily on the NASDAQ.
• Facebook may be accessed by desktops,  laptops,  tablet computers and  smart phones  over the  internet  and  mobile networks.
• Users may join common-interest groups organized by workplace, school, hobby or others.
• Facebook earns most of its revenue from  advertisers.
• Facebook is translated into over 100 languages.
• Eighty-eight percent of all adults between the ages of 18 and 29 who go online use Facebook.
• Sixty-two percent of all adults 65 and older who go online use Facebook.
• Facebook is the most popular social media platform, with 79 percent of all adults online (68 percent of all Americans) using Facebook, compared to:

  • Instagram with 32 percent;
  • Pinterest with 31 percent;
  • LinkedIn with 29 percent;
  • Twitter with 24 percent.

• Three-quarters of Facebook users check the site at least once a day.

Source: Facebook

See also Following Things on Facebook? Facebook Is Folllowing You, Too in this issue.