Recently, my parents joined Facebook. My mom and dad have been setting up their profile and learning about the site. Of course, this has required some help from me and my brother and my step-sisters and my cousins and…well, the whole family. But we're all pretty excited that we can now communicate with my parents on Facebook. My mom and dad are even happier that they can share photos with us, send messages and read about what we're up to in their News Feed.

My parents aren't the only ones joining Facebook—so are their friends. In fact, their age group represents one of our fastest growing demographics. As a Product Manager on the Growth team, I've been excited to see a significant increase in people my parents' age joining Facebook over the past year, both in the US and abroad. Facebook is for everyone and as the site grows, people—including my parents—can connect with more of their friends and family, no matter where they are. Facebook is even more important to me now that my parents are my Facebook friends.

So, this Thanksgiving, instead of having a Turkey dinner with my family, I'll just have to do with sending them one.


Naomi Gleit, Product Manager on Growth, is staying close despite being far away.


Tip: Create a Friends List for your family, and add your parents, siblings and extended family. You'll have an easier time sending them a message all at once, inviting them to family events or making sure no one but your family sees your embarrassing holiday photos.