It all began in Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard University student room back in 2004 and has been transformed into one of the largest social networking sites online with over 800 million active users. Facebook can be explained as a social networking site designed for individuals who want to easily stay in touch with friends, family and co-workers.
Users are able to add friends either by email address or search for them by name. They can then request their friendship, share photos, update their status and write on their wall. It is essentially like texting but on the internet, however it is important to note that others can see it unless it is sent by private message. !!
Facebook has played a part in being responsible for the changes in the way people interact. Users are able to keep in touch with friends who have moved to the other side of the world, see their pictures and speak to them on Facebook chat – an IM service to the side your webpage which allows you to see when other users are online. However Facebook has been at the centre of a long running debate about how the younger generation are not taking part in ‘real’ conversations and prefer to ‘poke’ each other over an internet site.
It is not just individuals who can benefit from the site, it is also a helpful tool for businesses. Companies can create groups and pages with information about themselves and their products. Facebook users can then decide to ‘Become a Fan’ or join a group to offer their support. There have been a few occasions where Facebook groups have had an impact on wider society, for example the 2009 Christmas number 1 was Rage Against The Machine instead of X-factor winner Joe McElderry.
Geo-location tagging company Foursquare is now facing competition from Facebook who have launched ‘Facebook Places’ - an application for mobile phones to allow users to alert friends in real time where they are, what they are doing and who they are with.
This application has reignited the debate of online privacy and whether the ‘youths of today’ are sharing too much information. Facebook stress that users chose to opt into the application and decide whether or not to check-in at a certain location.
Privacy settings on Facebook are easy to change and it is suggested that individuals make sure that they are au fait with just what others can see. Check out my other blog post: ‘Social networking – business, pleasure or both?’ for advice about adding work colleagues to Facebook. ** Comming Soon. **
The best way to learn about something is to experience it so set up your Facebook account today!
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