The Facebook Blog

Today, Facebook is making it easier for you to connect with your favorite public figures and organizations. You'll have access to all their status updates, photos, videos and much more. You can also comment on their posted content and join the conversations just as you would with friends or family members on their Facebook profiles. You'll be able to do this—not just with your favorite celebrities—but also with political leaders, media outlets, non-profit organizations, TV shows, musicians and much more. Now, you can receive and share... information with all the people and things you are connected to in your life. This means you can stay updated on policies and initiatives from French President Nicolas Sarkozy or receive campus updates from Stanford University. You can even root for Lance Armstrong as he trains for his next big race.

Here are some specific examples to give you a better idea of how this will work. You can connect with the band U2—a favorite for many people around the world—and learn more about them through their public profile, just as you might with a friend's profile. You can now access personal videos they recorded during their travels around the world, photos of their latest concert and even receive reminders for their upcoming events. And you can interact with U2 by commenting directly on their updates.



You may already hear about what's happening around the world through friends' updates on Facebook. Now, major media outlets like The New York Times can use their public profile to share breaking developments that will stream directly into your News Feed, so you don't have to worry about missing an important story. For a more colorful look into current events, check out The New York Times' photos and videos and be sure to share your comments.



To contribute to your community, you can connect with organizations like the American Red Cross or Service Nation. Receive updates on volunteer opportunities and learn how you and your friends and can help others around the world—no matter where you are.



These are just a few ways you can use Facebook to connect with all the people and things that matter most to you, and this is just the beginning. In the coming weeks, you'll see more of your favorite celebrities, musicians, politicians and brands on the site. I can't wait to see what they share next in my News Feed. And, if there are people or organizations you want to connect with that aren't on Facebook, let them know.


Raquel is voting for NASA's next space station to be named 'Stephen Colbert' thanks to "The Colbert Report's" latest status update.