President Barack Obama joined Facebook on Monday and said he wanted his account to be “a place where we can have real conversations,” diving right in with his first post on climate change.
In that post, Obama took Facebook users on a walk through his back yard at the White House and calling on Americans in a video “to preserve this beautiful planet of ours.”
“Not only do I want future presidents to be able to take walks like this,” Obama said in a video post on his profile. “I want to make sure that the American people are able to enjoy the incredible national parks, incredible beauty, the mountains, the oceans, that have been one of the greatest gifts we’ve ever received.”
The President chose Facebook because “at a time when nearly three in four adults online use Facebook, this feels like a great place to do it,” he writes.
Meanwhile, the “Barack Obama” Facebook account, which has over 45 million followers, continues to be run by Organizing for Action.
Obama, who first joined Twitter in May, has been more active on social media as his second term nears its end, hosting Twitter Q&A’s, interacting with stars of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team, inviting teen clockmaker Ahmed Mohamed to the White House, joking with Bill Clinton and even revealing his guacamole recipe preference.