Chemical Education Today
Report
Become a Fan: Support Your Favorite Element on Facebook by Rachel K. Groat and Erica K. Jacobsen
Do you have a favorite element? Do you know that every element has its own page on Facebook? Many Facebook users do, and have written comments on their favorite element’s page. Here are a few example comments: Carbon I am proud to be a you-based life form Michaela Titanium One of the best metals out there. Strong, Impervious to rust/oxidation, and bling factor worthy. I prefer this metal in flashlights, safety gear, weaponry, automotive, and surgical use… Chris Aluminum I like to write the word aluminum, its nice to write, it feels good, you know what I’m saying? Cathy
Have an opinion? Disagree with a posted opinion? Here’s your chance to let the world know. Check out the information below about becoming a part of the Elements on Facebook project, then tell everyone about your favorite element. Your support could help carry your favorite to be one of the “Top 5 Elements”! What Is the Elements on Facebook Project? In 2008 the ACS Division of Chemical Education started the Elements on Facebook Project (EFP) (1). It was the group’s goal to create a Facebook page for each element and build public participation through the Facebook “fan” feature. The group rallied interest by distributing informational postcards at chemical education meetings and teacher workshops, telling educators how they and their students could get involved. Even if you are just now learning about the project, you can still take part. Read on to find everything you need to know to sign up, become a fan, and benefit from the EFP. Facebook (2) is a social networking Web site that allows individuals, groups, and products, to create personal profiles that contain information about themselves, including their hobbies, interests, and employment history. Users can also add photographs, videos, links, and comments. Facebook users can view (with limitations) others’ Facebook profiles, and become “fans” of them. Fans are permitted to post comments on the profile. This enables fans to add the same type of information as the profile creator, such as pictures, videos, etc. Fan-added data is visually distinguished from the date of the profile creator’s, through use of “picture signatures”. How Does the Project Work? The EFP is based in the ChemEd Digital Library’s ChemCollaborative wiki (1). The home page is an interactive periodic
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table where you can visit the Facebook profile of any element by clicking on its box in the periodic table graphic. Here, you can view basic information about the element, such as its discovery date and a photo (for a majority of the elements). Most importantly, you can view comments by fans of the element by selecting the “Just Fans” icon. Fans can post anything that appropriately pertains to the element: to explain why it is a favorite, discuss unique uses for it, or even add jokes relating to its chemistry. Users can also post relevant photos, videos, and links to applicable Web sites on the element’s profile page. Many fans have already expanded their favorite element’s profile by adding materials regarding an element, such as links to forums, current literature, and even humorous online videos. Elements on Facebook: A Worthwhile Resource? This unique tool is particularly beneficial, because you can add really valuable information! The project can be as informative as you choose it to be. The more people who participate, the more information that you and others can share and benefit from. Another advantage of the EFP, and more explicitly its association with Facebook, is the networking opportunities it opens. On every element profile there is a list of fans, reached by clicking the “see all” link in the fans section. This feature could aid in forming collaborations and other chemistry-related relationships among project participants. The EFP is a great way to share information and find others who have the same periodic passions as you. Become a Fan of an Element Not a Member of Facebook Yet? Join and be a part of the project. Direct your browser to the Facebook home page (2). Then fill in information about yourself in the given spaces in the upper right hand corner of the page. Follow the step-by-step process to make your Facebook account more personalized, like finding friends, adding profile info, and setting a profile photograph (you have the option to skip the photo). Once you have become a Facebook member, follow the instructions below to access element profiles. Already Have a Facebook Account? To become a fan, go to the Elements on Facebook home page (1), and select an element that you would like to become a fan of. In the element’s profile, click on the “become a fan” icon located in the upper left hand corner; you are now officially a fan. Have more than one element favorite? Add them all! Checking your element list is easy, just open your profile page and look in the “info” tab to find a comprehensive list of all the elements you have added. You may also want to become a member of the Division of Chemical Education “group” on Facebook. As a member you will receive updates about group activity on Facebook, and get
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 86 No. 10 October 2009 • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • © Division of Chemical Education
Chemical Education Today
help to stay connected with other division members. Search “division of chemical education” in the upper right hand corner tool bar, and select the appropriate group when your search results appear. Next, select “request to become a member”. The group administrator must approve of this request before you are officially a member, so please be patient. You can view a list of your groups directly above your fan list in the info tab of your profile.
Table 1. Facebook’s Top Five Elements
Rank
Element
Number of Fans
1 2 3 4 5
Carbon Titanium Aluminum Nitrogen Potassium
329 208 195 190 186
Facebook’s Top 5 Elements At the beginning of July 2009, JCE staff collected data from Facebook to determine which five elements had the most fans (Table 1). In a future JCE issue, the five elements with the most fans, in addition to the element with the most dramatically increased fan base, will be recognized. Help your favorite element (or elements) be honored by becoming a fan and adding your comments. The EFP also ties in well with the American Chemical Society’s 2009 National Chemistry Week theme, Chemistry—It’s Elemental!, celebrating the 140th anniversary of Mendeleev’s Periodic Table of the Elements. Teachers can use the Top 5 competition as a tool to connect with their students and encourage enthusiasm for the periodic table. Many students are already avid Facebook users, so encourage them to become a fan their favorite element. You could even supplement the Top 5 competition with a classroom activity, for example where students research their favorite element and campaign for it in class! Take pride in your favorite element. Check out its Facebook profile, become a fan, and help it be nominated as one of the Top 5. Remember to post your comments regarding the
element—they could help recruit new fans. If you’re not ready to proclaim yourself as a fan yet, you can still take a look at the Facebook profiles of any of the elements (1). Who knows, you may even find a new favorite! Literature Cited (all sites accessed Jul 2009) 1. Find the Elements at Facebook project online at http://wiki. chemeddl.org/index.php/PTL:Elements_at_Facebook. 2. The URL for Facebook is http://www.facebook.com/.
Supporting JCE Online Material
http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2009/Oct/abs1168.html Abstract and keywords Full text (PDF) with links to cited URLss
Rachel K. Groat is a senior undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison majoring in psychology and zoology; groat@ wisc.edu. Erica K. Jacobsen is Editor, Secondary School Chemistry, Journal of Chemical Education;
[email protected].
Face to Face with the Periodic Table It’s Elemental! The ACS Division of Chemical Education began promoting The Elements on Facebook Project in 2008 using an informational postcard (shown at right). The Project has grown to include nearly 5500 “Facebook fans” as of July 2009.
Aluminum! I love the way it gleams…
en ungst I like t it lights e s becau y life! up m
Have
you s een th therm e iodine omet er? (JCE 200 80, 8 3, 78)
it’s um— Ceri rene. se Now you can be a Friend of the Periodic Table and take an active part in the Division of Chemical Education’s SOCIAL NETWORK. It’s as easy as 1–2–3! First, join Facebook; second, join the Division of Chemical Education Group; third, become a fan of your favorite element by clicking on the URL on the CHED Group page. That’s it! a CHED—JCE—ChemEd DL Collaboration
© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 86 No. 10 October 2009 • Journal of Chemical Education
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