Think of it as an eternally evolving college yearbook. Since February 2004, the Facebook’s online community for college-goers has grown from a few thousand students at Harvard to 1.5 million users at 370 campuses including all the Ivy League schools. At one point in early 2005 the site was averaging 10,000 new sign-ups daily.
A membership which requires a participating school email address allows users to post photos and information about themselves – everything from political preferences and high school alma maters to hobbies and interests. Other features include notification of friends’ birthdays and a searchable database of classes – in case you want to find out the name of that cutie from English Lit 101.
Anyone can create a theme-based group although each school that belongs to the Facebook has a different private network inaccessible to outsiders.
But what cool Web book would be complete without its dark side? Members can track the number of friends a person has at his or her school and at other colleges that also belong to the Facebook. Though most won’t admit it collecting “Facebook friends” is a point of pride. Of course it’s not necessarily a sign of popularity
Since members who send a “friend request” (also known as “facebooking”) are rarely rejected. Once a friendship request is accepted both parties can wander through each other’s profiles doing recon on everything from musical interests and current classes to mutual friends.
Though faculty graduate students and alumni have access to the Facebook they don’t seem as interested in using it at the 24/7 pace that some undergrads do. Perhaps bordering on addiction some students report checking their accounts five times a day. Sure the Facebook can be gossip central but there are lots of reasons users log on. For some it’s a reference tool to obtain phone numbers email addresses and even upcoming events. For others it’s a way to connect with classmates to share notes and homework assignments. And of course for many single students it’s an online dating scene.
Still it’s hard to argue that the site isn’t bringing people together. Since users can search by name school club or interest (favorite book movie sports team actor etc.) it’s only a matter of time before you’re making friends with common interests. Just be careful not to make TOO many friends – or you’ll be so busy checking your messages that you’ll never get any work done. The Facebook shouldn’t cause you to lose face!
