When Apple first talked about Mac OS X Mountain Lion, it said that both Twitter and Facebook would be integrated into the OS. The idea was to let you post to either service from within apps you use on your Mac.

When Mountain Lion was finally released, it included integration with Twitter, but Facebook was nowhere to be found. Evidently, some bit of negotiation between Apple and Facebook hadn't been completed, and it took a little while to hash out how the integration would work.

Mountain Lion 10.8.2 includes the promised Facebook features. For those of you who have been waiting to use Facebook directly from your favorite Mac apps, here are the steps you need to set up your Mac to work with Facebook.

Setting Up Facebook on Your Mac

You must be running OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 or later on your Mac. Earlier versions of the Mac OS don't include Facebook integration. If you haven't upgraded to Mountain Lion, or you haven't upgraded to the 10.8.2 version of Mountain Lion, our installation guides will help you make the switch.

When you have the latest version of OS X installed, we can get started.

1. Launch System Preferences by clicking the System Preferences icon in the Dock, or selecting System Preferences from the Apple menu.
2. In the System Preferences window that opens, select the Mail, Contacts & Calendars preference icon, which is located in the Internet & Wireless group.
3. When the Mail, Contacts & Calendars preference pane opens, click the Facebook icon on the right side of the pane.

1. Enter your Facebook user name and password, and click Next.
2. An information sheet will drop down, explaining what will happen when you sign into Facebook from your Mac.
   • First, your list of Facebook friends will be added to your Mac's Contacts app, and then kept in sync. If you prefer, you can turn off syncing between Contacts and Facebook; we'll show you how below.
   • Next, you'll be able to post status updates to Facebook from any Mac app that supports this capability. Mac apps that currently support Facebook include Safari, the Notifications Center, iPhoto, and any app that includes the Share button or icon.
   • Finally, apps on your Mac will be able to access your Facebook account, with your permission.
3. If you wish to enable Facebook integration with your Mac, click the Sign-in button.

Contacts and Facebook

When you enable Facebook integration, your Facebook friends will automatically be added to your Mac's Contacts app. If you want to include all of your Facebook friends in the Contacts app, you don't need to do anything. Facebook will update Contacts with a Facebook group that includes all of your Facebook friends.

If you would rather not include your Facebook friends in the Contacts app, you can turn off the Facebook friends syncing option, and remove the newly created Facebook group from the Contacts app.

There are two ways to control Facebook and Contacts integration; one from within the Mail, Contacts & Calendars preference pane, and the other from the Contacts app's preferences. We will show you how to use both methods.

1. Mail, Contacts & Calendars preference pane method: Launch System Preferences and select the Mail, Contacts & Calendars preference pane.
2. On the left side of the Mail, Contacts & Calendars preference pane, select the Facebook icon. The right side of the pane will display apps that are syncing with Facebook. Remove the check mark from the Contacts entry.

1. Contacts preference pane method: Launch Contacts, located in /Applications.
2. Select "Preferences" from the Contacts menu.
3. Click the Accounts tab.
4. In the list of accounts, select Facebook.
5. Remove the check mark from "Enable this account."

Posting to Facebook

The Facebook integration feature allows you to post from any app or service that includes the Share button. You can also post from the Notifications Center. We will show you how to share from Safari, and how to use the Notifications Center to post a message on Facebook.

Post from Safari:

Safari has a Share button located just to the left of the URL/Search bar. It looks like a rectangle with an arrow emerging from its center.

1. In Safari, navigate to a web site you would like to share with others on Facebook.
2. Click the Share button and Safari will display a thumbnail version of the current web page, along with a field where you can write a note about what you're sharing. Enter your text, and click Post.

Your message and a link to the web page will be sent to your Facebook page.

Post from the Notifications Center:

1. Open the Notifications Center by clicking its icon in the menu bar.
2. Click the Click to Post button, which includes the Facebook logo.
3. Enter the text you want to include in your post, and click the Post button.

Your message will be delivered to your Facebook page.