Jump to content

Facebook: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
←Blanked the page
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox_Company |
company_name = Facebook, Inc. |
company_logo = [[Image:Facebook Logo.svg|200px]] |
company_type = [[Private company|Private]]|
foundation = [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] <br /> ([[February 4]] [[2004]]) |
location = [[Palo Alto, California]] |
industry = Internet|
key_people = [[Mark Zuckerberg]], [[Entrepreneur|Founder]] and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] <br /> [[Dustin Moskovitz]], Co-founder and VP of Engineering <br /> Owen Van Natta, [[Chief operating officer|COO]] <br /> [[Matt Cohler]], VP Strategy & Business Operations <br /> [[Chris Hughes (Facebook)|Chris Hughes]], Co-founder
|
services = |
revenue = $50 million [[USD]]<ref name=project-frat>{{cite web |last=Arrington |first=Michael | year=2006 |url= http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/12/12/yahoos-project-fraternity-docs-leaked/ |title =Yahoo’s “Project Fraternity” Docs Leaked |publisher=TechCrunch | accessdate =2007-06-06}}</ref> ([[2006]] estimated) |
operating_income = |
net_income = |
num_employees = 300+ ([[July 2007]]) |
homepage = [http://www.facebook.com/ www.facebook.com] |
}}
[[Image:Facebookheadquarters.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto]]

'''Facebook''' is a [[Social network service|social networking]] [[website]] which was launched on [[February 4]], [[2004]].

In the beginning, the membership was restricted to students of [[Harvard University]]. It was subsequently expanded to other Boston area schools ([[Boston College]], [[Boston University]], [[MIT]]) and all [[Ivy League]] schools within two months. Many individual universities were added in rapid succession over the next year. Eventually anyone with a US college or [[university]] (.edu) [[E-mail address|email address]] was eligible to join. There was a separate network initiated for US high schools. Since [[11 September]] [[2006]], it has been made available to any [[E-mail address|email address]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thinkubator.ccsp.sfu.ca/FacebookTheNewestFadInMarketing |title=Facebook: The Newest Fad in Marketing |accessdate=2007-07-25 |format=HTML |work=Thinkubator: Facebook, the latest fad in marketing }}</ref> user who inputs a certain age range. Users can select to join one or more participating networks, such as a [[high school]], place of employment, or geographic region.

As of [[July]] [[2007]], the website had the largest number of registered users among college-focused sites with over 30 million members worldwide (also from non-collegiate networks).<ref name=FBblog3>{{cite web |last=Abram |first=Carolyn |year=2007 | url =http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2557152130 | title ="Thirty Million on Facebook" - Facebook blog entry | format =blog | date =[[2007-07-10]]}}</ref> In [[June]] [[2007]]<ref name=alexatrafficrank>{{cite web |title=Related info for: facebook.com/ |publisher=[[Alexa Internet]] | url = http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?q=facebook&url=http://www.facebook.com/}}<br>Ranked 17<sup>th</sup> as of 2007-06-19</ref> it was ranked between top 10&ndash;20 web sites, and was the number one site for photos in the [[United States]], ahead of public sites such as [[Flickr]], with over 8.5 million photos uploaded daily.<ref name="photoInfrastructure">{{Cite web |url=http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2406207130 |title=Facebook Photos Infrastructure |accessdate=2007-05-30 |publisher=Facebook |year=2007 |author=Doug Beaver |work=Facebook Weblog |format=html}}</ref> It is also the seventh most visited site in the United States.<ref name="scaryFacebook">{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.zdnet.com/micro-markets/?p=1437|title=Why Facebook Is Scarier than Google|accessdate=2007-05-28|publisher=CNET Networks|year=2007|author=Donna Bogatin|work=ZDNet Blogs - Digital Markets|format=html}} The author is quoting facebook founder [[Mark Zuckerberg]] who is cites unnamed [[Associated Press]] reports</ref>.

The name of the site refers to the [[wikt:facebook|paper facebooks]] depicting members of the campus community that colleges and preparatory schools give to incoming students, faculty, and staff.

== Operations ==
The site is free to users and generates revenue from [[advertising]] including [[Web banner|banner ads]] and sponsored groups (in April [[2006]], revenue was rumored to be over $1.5 million per week).<ref name=tc>{{cite web | last =Arrington | first =Michael | year =2006 | url =http://www.techcrunch.com/2005/09/07/85-of-college-students-use-facebook/| title =Facebook Goes Beyond Colleges, High School Markets | publisher =TechCrunch | accessdate =2006-08-16}}</ref> Users create profiles that often contain photos and lists of personal interests, exchange private or public messages, and join groups of friends. The viewing of detailed profile data is restricted to users from the same network or confirmed friends. According to [[TechCrunch]], "about 85% of students in [previously] supported colleges have a profile [on the site]. [Of those who are signed up,] 60% [[Login|log in]] ''daily''. About 85% log in at least once a week, and 93% log in at least once a month." According to Chris Hughes, spokesman for Facebook, "People spend an average of 19 minutes a day on Facebook."<ref name=techcrunch>{{cite web | last =Arrington | first =Michael | year =2005 | url =http://www.techcrunch.com/2005/09/07/85-of-college-students-use-facebook/ | title =85% of College Students use FaceBook | publisher =TechCrunch | accessdate =2006-04-03}}</ref> In a 2006 study conducted by Student Monitor, a New Jersey-based [[limited liability company]] specializing in research concerning the college student market, Facebook was named as the second most "in" thing among undergraduates, tied with [[beer]] and [[Sexual intercourse|sex]] and losing only to the [[iPod]].<ref name=CNN>{{cite web | last = Associated Press | year =2006 | url =http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/07/college.in.ap/index.html | title =Apple surpasses beer on college campuses | publisher =CNN| accessdate =2006-06-08}}</ref>

== Origins and expansion ==
[[Image:MarkZuckerberg.jpg|thumb|Mark Zuckerberg]]
[[Image:Logo-left.jpg|thumb|The former banner of Facebook.com]]
<div class="infobox sisterproject">
<div style="float: left;">[[Image:Wikinews-logo.png|50px|none|Wikinews]]</div>
<div style="margin-left: 60px;">[[Wikinews]] has news related to this article:
<div style="margin-left: 10px;">'''''[[Wikinews:Bloggers investigate social networking websites|Facebook's funding]]'''''</div></div></div>

[[Mark Zuckerberg]] founded "The Facebook" in February 2004, while attending Harvard University, with support from Andrew McCollum and Eduardo Saverin. By the end of the month, more than half of the [[undergraduate]] population at Harvard were registered on the service. At that time, Zuckerberg was joined by [[Dustin Moskovitz]] for site promotion and Facebook expanded to [[MIT]], [[Boston University]], and [[Boston College]]. This expansion continued in April of 2004 when it expanded to the rest of [[Ivy League]] and a few other schools. The following month, Zuckerberg, McCollum, Hughes, and Moskovitz moved to [[Palo Alto]], [[California]], to continue work on Facebook's development with additional help from Adam D'Angelo and [[Sean Parker]]. In September, Divya Narendra, Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, the owners of the social networking website [[ConnectU]], filed a [[lawsuit]] against Facebook, alleging that Zuckerberg had illegally used [[source code]] intended for a website they asked him to build for them.<ref name=Crimson>{{cite news | first=Timothy J. | last=McGinn | url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=503336 | title=Lawsuit Threatens To Close Facebook | publisher=Harvard Crimson | date=[[2004-09-13]]}}</ref><ref name=Princetonian>{{cite news | first=Alexander | last=Maugeri | url=http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2004/09/20/news/10767.shtml | title=TheFacebook.com faces lawsuit | publisher=Daily Princetonian | date=[[2004-09-20]]}}</ref> Also at that time, Facebook received approximately $500,000 from [[PayPal]] co-founder [[Peter Thiel]] in an [[Angel investor|angel round]]. By December, Facebook's user base had exceeded one million.

=== 2005 ===
In May 2005, Facebook raised $12.7 million in [[venture capital]] from [[Accel Partners]].<ref name=Accel>{{cite press release | publisher =Accel Partners | date =[[2005-05-26]] | title = '''Accel Partners Invests in Thefacebook.com''' | url =http://www.accel.com/news/news_one_up.php?news_id=1}}</ref> On [[August 23]], [[2005]], [[Aboutface]] Corporation sold the [[domain name]] facebook.com to Facebook for $200,000. The website moved to this new domain name and dropped "the" from its name. As a part of the move, the site was overhauled to make profile pages more user-friendly, according to Zuckerberg. Afterwards, McCollum and Hughes returned to Harvard, although Hughes remained the site's spokesperson and McCollum remained on as a consultant and doing staff work during the summer. Then, on [[September 2]], [[2005]], Zuckerberg launched the high school iteration of Facebook, calling it the next logical thing to do. At first, it was a completely separate entity to which users needed to be invited to join. However, in just fifteen days, most high school networks did not require a password to join. By October, Facebook's expansion had trickled down to most small universities and [[junior college]]s in the United States, Canada, and the UK, in addition to having expanded to twenty-one universities in the [[United Kingdom]], the entire [[ITESM|Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM)]] system in Mexico, the entire [[University of Puerto Rico]] network in [[Puerto Rico]], and the whole [[University of the Virgin Islands]] network in the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]]. On [[December 11]], [[2005]], universities in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] were added to the Facebook network, bringing its size to more than 2,000 colleges and more than 25,000 high schools throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], more than 11,000,000 users worldwide.<ref name=USAToday>{{cite news | first=Janet | last=Kornblum | url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-01-08-myspace-teens_x.htm?csp=34 | title=Teens hang out at MySpace | publisher=[[USA Today]] | date=[[2006-01-08]]}}</ref>

=== 2006 ===
On [[February 27]], [[2006]], Facebook began allowing college students to add high school students as friends due to requests from users.<ref name=letter>A series of announcements were posted on Facebook at [http://www.facebook.com/letter.php letter.php] explaining the changes.</ref> About a month later, on [[March 28]], [[2006]], [[BusinessWeek]] reported that a potential acquisition of the site was under negotiation. Facebook reportedly declined an offer of $750 million, and it was rumored that the asking price was as high as $2 billion.<ref name=2bil>{{cite news | first=Steve | last=Rosenbush | url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060327_215976.htm | title=Facebook's on the Block | publisher=BusinessWeek Online | date=[[2006-03-28]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref> In April, Peter Thiel, Greylock Partners, and Meritech Capital Partners invested an additional $25 million in the site.<ref name=25mil>{{cite news | first=Sam | last=Teller | url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=513007 | title=Investors Add $25M to Facebook’s Coffers | publisher=The Harvard Crimson | date=[[2006-04-25]]}}</ref> In May, Facebook's network extended into [[India]], at [[Indian Institutes of Technology]] (IITs) and [[Indian Institutes of Management]] (IIMs). The following month, Facebook threatened to seek costs of up to $100,000 from [http://www.quizsender.com Quizsender.com] for [[copyright infringement]] for allegedly copying the "look and feel" of Facebook.<ref name=quizsenderlawsuit>{{cite news | first=Zoe | last=McCallum | url=http://www.oxfordstudent.com/tt2006wk6/news/facebook_sends_out_its_lawyers | title=Facebook sends out its lawyers | publisher=The Oxford Student | date=[[2006-06-01]]}}</ref><ref name=quizsenderlawsuit2>{{cite news | first=Vincent | last=Romanelli | url=http://www.cherwell.org/news/news_in_brief/facebook_threaten_legal_action | title=Facebook threaten legal action | publisher=The Cherwell | date=[[2006-06-02]]}}</ref> On [[July 25]], new services were offered in the site that would potentially produce additional revenue. A promotion was arranged between Facebook and [[ITunes Music Store|iTunes]], in which members of the Apple Students group would receive a free 25 song sampler each week until [[September 30]] in various [[music genre]]s. The promotion's purpose was to make students more familiar and enthusiastic with each service as fall classes approached.<ref name=itunespromotion>{{cite news | first=Jacqui | last=Cheng | url=http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2006/7/25/4766 | title=Infinite Loop: Apple and Facebook partner up for back to school iTunes promo | publisher=arstechnica | date=[[2006-07-25]]}}</ref> In the early half of August, Facebook added universities in [[Germany]] and high schools in [[Israel]], ([[Haifa]], [[Jerusalem]], and [[Qiryat Gat]]) to its network. On the 22nd of that month, Facebook introduced Facebook Notes, a blogging feature with tagging, embedded images, and other features, also allowing the importation of blogs from [[Xanga]], [[LiveJournal]], [[Blogger (service)|Blogger]], and other blogging services. This newly added feature also included the common blog feature of allowing readers to comment on users' entries. On [[September 11]], [[2006]], Facebook became open to all users of the [[Internet]], prompting protest from its existing user base.<ref name=facebookopentoall>{{cite news | first=Anick | last=Jesdanun | url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060912/ap_on_hi_te/facebook_expansion | title=Facebook to open to all Internet users | publisher=Yahoo News | date=[[2006-09-11]]}}</ref> Two weeks later, Facebook opened registration to anyone with a valid e-mail address (see [[#Integration of high school users|below]]).<ref>{{cite news | first=Carolyn | last=Abram | url=http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2210227130 | title=Welcome to Facebook, everyone | date=[[2006-09-26]]}}</ref>

=== 2007 ===
On [[10 May]], Facebook announced a plan to add free, classified advertisements to its website, making it a competitor with established online companies such as [[Craigslist]].<ref>Brad Stone, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/11/business/11facebook.html "Facebook to Offer Free Classifieds"] [[2007-05-11]] ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> This feature, known as Facebook Marketplace, went live on [[May 14]], [[2007]], which was also Mark Zuckerberg's 24th birthday. On [[May 14]] [[2007]], Facebook launched an [[API]] that allows the development of applications to be used on the site, known as Facebook Platform.<ref>Kirkpatrick, David. [http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/24/technology/facebook.fortune/ "Facebook's plan to hook up the world"]. CNN Money, May 29, 2007.</ref> In June, the partnership begun the previous year between iTunes and Facebook continued, with the download service again offering free music samplers through the Apple Students group.

== Sale rumors ==
In 2006, with the sale of social networking site [[MySpace]] to [[NewsCorp]], rumors surfaced about the possible sale of Facebook to a larger media company. Zuckerberg, the owner of Facebook, has said that he does not want to sell the company and denies rumors to the contrary.<ref name=denial>{{cite web | url=http://facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2208601394&topic=1841&start=500#post5339 | title=Free Flow of Information on the Internet discussions | accessdate=2006-09-13 | author=Mark Zuckerberg | last=Zuckerberg | first=Mark | publisher=Facebook | date=2006-09-08}}</ref> He has already rejected outright offers in the range of $975 million, and it is not clear who might be willing to pay a higher premium for the site. Steve Rosenbush, a technology [[business analyst]], suspects [[Viacom]].<ref name=Viacom>{{cite news | first=Steve | last=Rosenbush | url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060327_215976.htm | title=Facebook's on the Block | publisher=BusinessWeek Online | date=[[2006-03-28]] | accessdate=2006-08-14}}</ref>

In September 2006, serious talks between Facebook and Yahoo! took place for the acquisition of the [[social network]], with prices reaching as high as $1 billion.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Delaney
| first = Kevin
| title = Facebook, Riding a Web Trend, Flirts With a Big-Money Deal
| pages = 1
| publisher = DowJones
| date = [[2006-09-21]]
| accessdate = 2006-09-21 }}</ref> In October, after [[Google]] purchased video-sharing site [[YouTube]], rumors circulated that Google had offered $2.3 billion to outbid Yahoo!<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/topnews/wpn-60-20061010FirstYouTubeNowFacebookRumorsCirculate.html | title=First YouTube, Now Facebook? Rumors Circulate | accessdate=2006-10-11 | author=Jason Lee Miller| last=Miller | first=Jason | publisher=WebProNews | date=2006-10-10}}</ref>

[[Peter Thiel]], a board member of Facebook, indicated that Facebook's internal valuation is around $8 billion based on their projected revenues of $1 billion by 2015, comparable to that of Viacom's [[MTV]] brand<ref>[http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=aqwoCAVu._zA Facebook, Courted By Yahoo, Won't Sell, Director Says (Update3)]</ref> and based on shared target demographic audience.

== Criticisms ==

=== Lawsuit from Connectu.com ===
{{Ongoing lawsuit|date=May 2007}}
Founder of Facebook.com, Mark Zuckerberg, has been accused of illegally using both the concept and source code from competing site Connectu.com. In [[November 2003]], [[ConnectU]] engaged Mark Zuckerberg, then a sophomore at Harvard, to complete the computer programming for their website. Upon joining the ConnectU team, Zuckerberg was given full access to the website source code. Allegedly, Zuckerberg intentionally hampered the development of ConnectU while using code originally intended for ConnectU in the development of Facebook.

Since its original filing in Massachusetts the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice due to technicality on [[March 28]], [[2007]], but was never ruled on. It was refiled soon thereafter in [[U.S. District Court]] in [[Boston]], and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for [[July 25]], 2007.<ref>http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,135041-c,webservices/article.html</ref> Facebook has asked the district court to dismiss the case. The attorneys representing Facebook refer to the allegations as "broad brush", "false" and that they are unsubstantiated with evidence.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6914843.stm |title=Facebook site faces fraud claim |accessdate=2007-07-25 |format=HTML |work=BBC News }}</ref>

=== Privacy concerns ===
There have been some concerns expressed regarding the use of Facebook as a means of surveillance and [[data mining]]. Theories have been written about the possible misuse of Facebook<ref name=cgcs>{{cite web | last =Smith | first =Josh | year =2005 | url =http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t34949.html | title =Big Brothers, Big Facebook: Your Orwellian Community | publisher =The Color of Infinity | accessdate =2006-04-03}} (mirrored on Common Ground Common Sense Forums)</ref> and privacy proponents have criticized the site's current privacy agreement.<ref>http://www.facebook.com/policy.php</ref> According to the policy, ''"We may use information about you that we collect from other sources, including but not limited to newspapers and Internet sources such as blogs, instant messaging services and other users of Facebook, to supplement your profile."'' However, some features—such as [[AOL Instant Messenger|AIM]] away-message harvesting and campus newspaper monitoring—have been dropped and Facebook has since responded to the concerns. Facebook has assured worried users the next [[privacy policy]] will not include the clause about information collection and has denied any data mining is being done "for the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] or any other group."<ref name=jacobmorse>{{cite web | last =Morse | first =Jacob | year =2006 | url =http://jacobmorse.com/2006/01/facebook-responds/ | title =Facebook Responds | publisher =Cogito | accessdate =2006-04-03}}</ref> However, the possibility of data mining by private individuals unaffiliated with Facebook remains open, as evidenced by the fact that two [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] students were able to download, using an automated script, over 70,000 Facebook profiles from four schools (MIT, NYU, the University of Oklahoma, and Harvard) as part of a research project on Facebook privacy published on [[December 14th]], [[2005]].<ref name=jonessoltren>{{cite paper | author=Jones, Harvey, & José Hiram Soltren | title=Facebook: Threats to Privacy | date=2005 | url=http://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/6095/student-papers/fall05-papers/facebook.pdf}} ([[PDF]])</ref>

Another clause that some users are critical of reserves the right to sell users' data to private companies, stating ''"We may share your information with third parties, including responsible companies with which we have a relationship."'' This concern has also been addressed by spokesman [[Chris Hughes (Facebook)|Chris Hughes]] who said "Simply put, we have never provided our users' information to third party companies, nor do we intend to."<ref name=informer>{{cite news | first=Chris | last=Peterson | url=http://www.vainformer.com/new_ipb/index.php?showtopic=177 | title=Who's Reading Your Facebook? | publisher=The Virginia Informer | date=[[2006-02-13]]}}</ref> It is unclear if Facebook plans to remove that clause as well.

Recently serious privacy concerns have been raised over the security of 3rd party applications that users may install on Facebook (for example vampires, super poke etc). Third party applications have access to almost all users information and "Facebook does not screen or approve Platform Developers and cannot control how such Platform Developers use any personal information." http://www.facebook.com/policy.php .

Facebook staff have the authority to view profiles in the event that the person is suspected of violating the site's terms of service.

=== Account terminations ===
Facebook has also faced criticism for not allowing users to permanently terminate their accounts. The website only gives users the option of "deactivating." However, once an account has been deactivated, all the personal information of users remain on Facebook's servers in case in the future they wish to reactivate. The website provides no means for users to permanently delete their account. A student from the University of British Columbia pursued the issue with Facebook. A Facebook representative responded by asking the student to ''"clear his account"'' before the termination process could begin. This included ''"415 wall posts, 126 friends, and 38 groups."'' The student subsequently gave up on terminating his account permanently as the process of deleting every wall post, friend and group on his profile would require 1158 mouse clicks.<ref name=SiaWebsite>{{cite web | first=Siyavash | last=G | url=http://siyavash2005.googlepages.com/facebook | title=Corporate Facebook | publisher=Googlepages | date=[[2007-07-19]]}}</ref>

=== News Feed and Mini-Feed ===
[[Image:FacebookProfileWikipedia.png|right|thumb|300px|A sample Facebook home page taken on 11 April 2007, the day of the most recent layout update, showing the user's "News Feed". Friends' activities are documented and timestamped.]]
On [[September 5]], [[2006]], Facebook introduced two new controversial features called "News Feed" and "Mini-Feed". The first of the new features, News Feed, appears on every Facebook member's [[home page]], displaying recent Facebook activities of a member's friends. The second feature, Mini-Feed, keeps a log of similar events on each member's profile page.<ref name=forbes-rosmarin>{{cite web | last =Rosmarin | first =Rachel | year =2006 | url =http://www.forbes.com/technology/2006/09/01/facebook-myspace-internet_cx_rr_0905facebook.html | title =Facebook's Makeover | publisher =[[Forbes]] | accessdate =2006-09-05}}</ref> Members can manually delete items from their Mini-Feeds if they wish to do so, and through privacy settings are able to control what is actually published in their respective Mini-Feeds.

Some Facebook members still feel that the ability to [[opt-out]] of the entire News Feed and Mini-Feed system is necessary, as evidenced by a statement from the ''Students Against Facebook News Feed'' group, which peaked at over 740,000 members.<ref name=nbc>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Facebook CEO: 'We Really Messed This One Up' | date=[[2006-09-08]] | publisher= | url =http://www.nbc11.com/news/9805842/detail.html | work =NBC11.com | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-21 | language = }}</ref> However, according to recent news articles, members have widely regarded the additional privacy options as an acceptable compromise.<ref name=jesdanun-ap2>{{cite web | last =Jesdanun | first =Anick | year =2006 | url =http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8K0UAL00.htm | title =Facebook offers new privacy options | publisher =[[Associated Press]] | accessdate =2006-09-08}}</ref>

Another problem is that the Facebook users may be under the impression that deleting something from one's Mini-Feed deletes it from the News Feed as well. It does not. In fact, there is no way to prevent some forms of updates to one's profile from being broadcast over the News Feed, as Facebook offers only a limited opt-out list. Users unaware of the News Feed function often unintentionally broadcast profile changes. Some information may even be sent over News-Feed without the knowledge of the user. For example, imported notes are put into the News Feed, even though notes can be set up to import automatically. This can automatically associate a user in the News Feed with whoever writes on the blog that they are importing.

=== Concerns of higher education faculty and administrators ===
On [[January 23]], [[2006]], ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' continued an ongoing national debate on social networks with an [[Editorial|opinion piece]] written by Michael Bugeja, director of the [[Journalism school|Journalism School]] at [[Iowa State University]], entitled "Facing the Facebook".<ref name=Bugeja>{{cite web
| url = http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/01/2006012301c/careers.html
| title = Facing the Facebook
| accessdate = 2006-10-06
| last = Bugeja
| first = Michael
| date = [[2006-01-03]]
| publisher = [[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]
}}</ref> Bugeja, author of the [[Oxford University Press]] text ''Interpersonal Divide'' (2005), quoted representatives of the [[American Association of University Professors]] and colleagues in [[higher education]] to document the distraction of students using Facebook and other social networks during class and at other venues in the [[Hotspot (Wi-Fi)|wireless campus]]. Bugeja followed up on [[January 26]], [[2007]] in ''The Chronicle'' with an article titled "Distractions in the Wireless Classroom,"<ref>{{cite news |last=Bugeja |first=Michael J |title=Distractions in the Wireless Classroom |work=Chronicle Careers |publisher=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]] |date=2007-01-26 |url=http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2007/01/2007012601c/careers.html |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> quoting several educators across the country who were banning laptops in the classroom. Similarly, organizations such as the [[National Association for Campus Activities]],<ref name=NACA>{{cite web
| url = http://www.naca.org/NACA/Events/WorkshopsOtherEvents/OnlineChatFacebook.htm
| title = Facing the Facebook
| accessdate = 2006-10-06
| author = National Association of Campus Activities
| date = [[2006-07-12]]
}}</ref> the [[Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication]],<ref name=AEJC>{{cite web
| url = http://www.asjmc.org/meetings/facebook_panel.htm
| title = Facing the Facebook: Administrative Issues Involving Social Networks
| accessdate = 2006-10-06
| author = Association for Education in Journalism and Communication
| date = 2006
}}</ref> and others have hosted seminars and presentations to discuss ramifications of students' use of Facebook and other social networking systems. The [[EDUCAUSE]] Learning Initiative has also released a brief pamphlet entitled "7 Things You Should Know About Facebook" aimed at higher education professionals that "describes what <nowiki>[Facebook]</nowiki> is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning".<ref name=EDUCAUSE>{{cite web
| url = http://www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666?ID=ELI7017
| title = 7 Things You Should Know About Facebook
| accessdate = 2006-10-06
| author = EDUCAUSE Learning Institute
| date = 2006
}}</ref>

=== Integration of high school users ===
[[Image:facebook rejected.png|thumb|right|This user has been rejected by too many people and must wait ten days before trying to add more friends.]]
Following the [[February 27]], [[2006]] integration of the high school and college levels, some college users began creating groups critical of the decision.<ref name=crimson2>{{cite news | first=Jillian M | last=Bunting | url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=511758 | title=New Facebook Feature Could Out Students | work= | publisher=The Harvard Crimson | date=[[2006-03-02]]}}</ref> Users from opposite branches could only fully interact if they were friends and some separation did remain. The site also released the Limited Profile privacy settings and advised students on how to hide pictures and other features from others. However, some college users felt that the site's former exclusivity had been key to their experience.<ref name=barometer>{{cite news | author=Staff editorial | url=http://barometer.orst.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/03/01/440552b337028?in_archive=1 | title=Yeas & Nays | publisher=The Daily Barometer ([[Oregon State University]]) | date=[[2006-03-01]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref> Some expressed concerns about the ability of unknown persons to create accounts on the high school version (since university addresses are not required) and use them to access the college version; by default, strangers can message and view users' friends through a simple global search. Some made predictions that the site would soon face issues with [[Spam (electronic)|spammers]], stalkers, or worse, and worried this would result in controversies similar to the [[MySpace#Child safety|bad publicity seen by MySpace]].<ref name=crimson3>{{cite news | first=Adam P | last=Schneider | url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=511127 | title=How Much About You Is Out There? | work= | publisher=The Harvard Crimson | date=[[2006-02-08]]}}</ref>

Adding to the controversy around opening Facebook to younger students, four high school students at Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]] were arrested in a Facebook-related protest on [[March 23]], [[2007]]. Earlier that week, five different students had been suspended for posting criticisms about a vice-principal of their school. About a dozen friends of the suspendees had decided to protest in front of the school, but that handful soon grew to over 100 students protesting for [[Freedom of speech|free speech]]. Local law enforcement authorities were called, and a scuffle ensued, resulting in the arrest of 4 students.<ref>{{cite news |title=Toronto high school students scuffle with police |publisher=[[The Globe and Mail]] (registration required for full text) |date=2007-03-23 | url = http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070323.wTOprotest0323/BNStory/National/home |accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>

===Removal of advertising===
On 3rd August 2007 British companies including [[First Direct]], [[Vodafone]], [[Virgin Media]], the AA, [[Halifax]] and the [[Prudential]] removed their adverts from Facebook. A Virgin Media spokeswoman said "We want to advertise on social networks but we have to protect our brand". The companies found that their services where being advertised on pages of the [[British National Party]], a far-right political party in the UK. [[New Media]] Age magazine was first to alert the companies that their ads were coming up on BNP's Facebook page.The AA also pulled it advertising from [[YouTube]] when a [[BBC]] documentary showed that videos of school children fighting were available on that site. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6929161.stm]

== Use in investigations ==
{{main|Use of social network websites in investigations}}
The information students provide on Facebook has been used in investigations by colleges, universities, and [[Police|local police]]. Facebook's Terms of Use<ref>http://www.facebook.com/terms.php</ref> specify that "the website is available for your personal, noncommercial use only", misleading some to believe that college administrators and police may not use the site for conducting investigations. However, there are settings on Facebook that allow a user to make his/her profile private (only people the user approves may see his/her profile).

=== Alcohol policy violations ===
<!---Please list incidents at the main article "Use of social network websites in investigations". Those that appear here should be the most notable and unique--->
There have been incidents where colleges and universities use Facebook to investigate [[underage drinking]] and violations of [[dry campus]] policies or discover them while investigating other incidents. For example, several Residence Community Advisors at [[Northern Kentucky University]] lost their jobs when pictures were discovered of them having casual drinks in a residence hall one night towards the end of semester.<ref name=northerner>{{cite news | first=Drew | last=Chalfant | url=http://www.thenortherner.com/media/paper527/news/2005/11/02/News/Facebook.Postings.Photos.Incriminate.Dorm.PartyGoers-1042037.shtml | title=Facebook postings, photos incriminate dorm party-goers | publisher=The Northerner ([[Northern Kentucky University]]) | date=[[2005-11-02]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref> Many high schools have also begun to use Facebook to crack down on underage drinking and other illegal activities.

In response to the monitoring, some students have begun to submit "[[red herring]]" party listings.<ref name=boingboing>{{cite web | last =Pescovitz | first =David | year =2006 | url =http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/09/facebook_prank_on_po.html | title =Facebook prank on police | publisher =[[Boing Boing]] | accessdate =2006-04-03}}</ref> In one case at [[George Washington University|The George Washington University]], shown at CakeParty.org,<ref>http://www.cakeparty.org/index2.htm</ref> students advertised their party and were raided by [[University police|campus police]]. The police found only cake, no alcohol, and later claimed the break up had been triggered by a noise complaint.<ref name=collegehumor>{{cite web | last =Chains | first =Benny | year =2005 | url =http://www.collegehumor.com/pictures/1607781/ | title =Case Closed | publisher =[[CollegeHumor]] | accessdate =2006-04-03}}</ref><ref name=hass>{{cite news | first=Nancy | last=Hass | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/education/edlife/facebooks.html | title=In Your Facebook.com | publisher=The New York Times | date=[[2006-01-08]] | accessdate=2006-08-29}}</ref>

=== Other investigations ===
<!---Please list incidents at the main article "Use of social network websites in investigations". Those that appear here should be the most notable and unique. They must also be well-sourced.--->
* The [[United States Secret Service]] met with a [[University of Oklahoma]] freshman in [[March 2005]] after he posted a joke about assassinating [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush|Bush]]. However, this investigation began after a fellow University of Oklahoma student alerted the Secret Service to the threat and did not stem from federal monitoring of the site as some suggested.<ref name=oudaily>{{cite news | first=William W., III | last=Savage | url=http://www.oudaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/03/08/422db16170829?in_archive=1 | title=Secret Service questions student | publisher=Oklahoma University Daily | date=[[2005-03-08]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref>
* During [[Students' union|student government]] elections held in [[October 2005]], results at the [[University of Missouri]] and the [[University of Pennsylvania]] were delayed due to early campaigning violations on Facebook.<ref name=maneater>{{cite news | author=Freeman, Alyssa and Jamie Scott | url=http://www.themaneater.com/article.php?id=22663 | title=MSA election results postponed | publisher=The Maneater ([[University of Missouri]]) | date=[[2005-11-11]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref><ref name=dailypenn>{{cite news | first=Jennie | last=Wissner | url=http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/433cd81979cff?in_archive=1 | title=18 violations delay results | publisher=Daily Pennsylvanian | date=[[2005-09-30]] | accessdate=2006-04-03 }}</ref>
* At the [[University of Mississippi]], a group of students were brought before the University's Judicial Board in [[April 2005]] and forced to remove a Facebook group that professed their love for a professor (Dr. Anne Quinney) in a sexually suggestive manner.<ref name=nwa>{{cite news | first=David | last=Epstein | url=http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/10/03/online | title=Cleaning Up Their Online Acts | publisher=Inside Higher Education | date=[[2005-10-03]] | accessdate=2006-06-29 }}</ref>
*One [[Miami University]] student was arrested after he set a composite [[sketch (drawing)|sketch]] of a rape suspect as his profile picture.<ref name=miami>{{cite news | first=Graham | last=Wolfe | url=http://www.miamistudent.net/media/paper776/news/2006/02/10/FrontPage/Student.Arrested.For.Inducing.Panic.With.Facebook.Picture-1607555.shtml | title=Student arrested for inducing panic with Facebook picture | publisher=Miami Student | date=[[2006-02-10]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref>
* Others have been punished for rushing the football field at [[Penn State University|Penn State]] (Many "I rushed the field" groups were created after the [[Nittany Lion]] football team defeated Ohio State in October 2005, and State College Police and Pennsylvania State Police used the groups to arrest those who they believed rushed the field in violation of school policy),<ref name=collegian>{{cite news | first=Devon | last=Lash | url=http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2005/11/11-10-05tdc/11-10-05dnews-09.asp | title=Site used to aid investigations | publisher=[[The Daily Collegian (Pennsylvania)|The Daily Collegian]] ([[Pennsylvania State University]]) | date=[[2005-11-10]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref>
* A [[Duquesne University]] student was punished for [[hate speech]] against homosexuals.<ref name=wpbf>{{cite news | url=http://www.wpbfnews.com/education/5196780/detail.html | title=Student Sanctioned For Comments On Homosexuality | publisher=WBPF News 25 | date=[[2005-10-28]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref>
* Four [[Syracuse University]] students were reprimanded for harassing an instructor in a Facebook group. The creator of the group was expelled from the school.<ref name=dailyorange>{{cite news | first=Julianne | last=Pepitone | url = http://dailyorange.com/media/paper522/news/2006/02/08/News/Kicked.In.The.Face.Freshmen.Claim.Judicial.Affairs.Threatened.Expulsion.For.Crea-1603618.shtml | title=Freshmen claim Judicial Affairs threatened expulsion for creation of Facebook group critical of TA | publisher=The Daily Orange ([[Syracuse University]]) | date=[[2006-02-08]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref> On the other hand, [[University of Louisville]] students who had created a Facebook group to complain about a professor's teaching shortcomings helped lead to the dismissal of their targeted instructor in February 2006, and the students were not punished.<ref name=louisville>{{cite news | first=Sasha | last=Williams | url = http://media.www.louisvillecardinal.com/media/storage/paper964/news/2006/02/06/News/Psychology.Professor.Replaced.After.Complaints-2225916.shtml | title=Psychology professor replaced after complaints | publisher=The Louisville Cardinal ([[University of Louisville]]) | date=[[2006-02-06]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref>
* In February 2007, following the [[Hit and run (vehicular)|hit-and-run]] death of freshman Carlee Wines, [[University of Connecticut]] campus police used Facebook to link the suspected driver, Anthony P. Alvino of Lindenhurst, N.Y., to the university.<ref name=newsday20070216>{{cite web |last=Merritt |first=Grace E. |coauthors=Andrew Stricker, Zachary R. Dowdy, Bill Mason |title=Arrests in hit-and-run |publisher=[[Newsday|Newsday.com]] (registration required) |date=2007-02-16 | url = http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-lihit165095931feb16,0,2479015.story?coll=ny-linews-print | archiveurl = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/item.html?pp_date=20070216&author=&doc_title=Arrests+in+hit-and-run%2C+LI+teen+charged+with+causing+death+of+a+student+at+UConn&edition=Combined+editions&pub_page=A.07&pptl=results |archivedate = 2007-02-16}}
* Full news article text [http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:rLCyBRhB9YUJ:www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-lihit165095931feb16,0,2479015.story+Arrests+in+hit-and-run,+LI+teen+charged+with+causing+death+of+a+student+at+UConn+site:newsday.com&hl=et&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=ee available in Google Cache];
* First 2&ndash;3 paragraphs available [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-29628153_ITM in ''Access My Library''] (registration required for full text);
*Free article [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/1217039231.html?dids=1217039231:1217039231&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+16%2C+2007&author=&pub=Newsday&edition=Combined+editions&startpage=A.07&desc=Arrests+in+hit-and-run%2C+LI+teen+charged+with+causing+death+of+a+student+at+UConn preview at newsday.com].</ref> By following leads via Facebook, police learned of the connection between Alvino and his girlfriend, Michele A. Hall, a UConn student.<ref>{{cite news |last=Carra |first=Nicholas |title=Two Arrests Made |publisher = [[The Daily Campus]] |date=2007-02-16 | url = http://media.www.dailycampus.com/media/storage/paper340/news/2007/02/16/News/Two-Arrests.Made-2725647.shtml | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref> Alvino was charged for the hit-and-run, while Hall was charged with helping cover it up and hindering prosecution.
* In April 2007, just days after the [[Virginia Tech shooting]], a student at the [[State University of New York at Cobleskill|SUNY College at Cobleskill]] was remanded into psychiatric care and suspended from college after posting a photo of himself on his profile with a vaguely threatening message underneath. This story became even more controversial as it grew across the news.<ref>[http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2007/04/26/aa425coby10.html SUNY Cobleskill student says his Internet posting troubled officials]</ref><ref>[http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2007/04/facebook_guns_the_virginia_tec_1.html Facebook, Guns & the Virginia Tech Fallout]</ref>
* During the [[University of Bath]]’s 2007 Student Union Elections, Presidential candidate George Pappadakis was disqualified from running due to a premature campaign on Facebook. The subsequent decision induced heavy debate and criticism.<ref>[https://www.bathstudent.com/clubs_RenderPage.asp?clubid=9032&pageid=25139 Elections Committee Statement]</ref>
* It has been reported that staff at the [[University of Oxford]] have been looking at students' Facebook pages in investigating poor behaviour. Staff have been searching through photos in an effort to root out poor conduct from students celebrating their exam results and graduation. The [[Oxford University Student Union]] has urged students to restrict access to 'friends only' in an effort to protect privacy. <ref>{{cite news |last=Gosden |first=Emily |title=Students' trial by Facebook |publisher=[[The Guardian]] |date=2007-07-17 |url=http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2128265,00.html}}</ref>
* In July 2007 The [[University of Kent]] issued a strongly worded statement protesting that a group of students had created a hate page about a library employee, which the site quickly withdrew. <ref>[[Daily Telegraph]] Number 47, 319 Wednesday 25th July 2007 p2</ref>
*In November 2006, two students were expelled from the University of Texas fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha based on racist images posted on Facebook. [http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2006/11/16/University/Fraternity.Works.Against.Racial.Insensitivity-2463802.shtml]

=== Other uses of profile information ===
[[Image:Facebookphotos.jpg|thumb|right|Because of users' concern over who was viewing their photo albums (pictured), Facebook staff added privacy controls such as Limited Profile settings to restrict their display.]]
Some employers look at Facebook profiles of prospective employees or interns. Information posted on Facebook is potentially accessible to employers with faculty or alumni accounts.<ref name=redandblack>{{cite news | first=Lauren | last=Morgan | url=http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/12/06/439512618c11c | title=Facebook can hurt employment chances | publisher=[[The Red and Black]] ([[University of Georgia]]) | date=[[2005-12-05]] | accessdate=2005-12-09}}</ref>

Information posted on the site is sometimes distributed publicly. Students who are related to politicians or other public figures have had screenshots of their profiles or [[photo album]]s taken and shared in an attempt to embarrass their relatives.<ref name=hotline>{{cite web | last =Todd | first =Chuck | year =2006 | url =http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/02/the_facebook_op.html | title =The Facebook Oppo | work =Hotline On Call | publisher =National Journal Group | accessdate =2006-04-03}}</ref> After profile information was posted on [[Gawker]] and [[Wonkette]], two popular [[Blog|weblog]]s, Facebook's Chief Privacy Officer, Chris Kelly, sent the sites' publishers [[cease and desist]] notices.<ref name=privacycd>{{cite web | last =Douglas | first =Nick | year =2006 | url =http://www.valleywag.com/tech/top/facebook-cds-gawker-for-showing-supersecret-profiles-178751.php | title = Facebook C&D's Gawker for showing super-secret profiles | work =Valleywag | publisher =Gawker Media | accessdate =2006-06-08}}</ref> Also, a group calling itself Performing Politics, Inc. publicly displayed the profiles of students at [[Yale University|Yale]] who had made comments about [[homosexuality]] in an effort to show evidence of [[homophobia]] at the school.<ref name=yaledailynews>{{cite news | first=Cari | last=Tuna | url=http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/16354 | title=Posters allege misogyny, homophobia | publisher=Yale Daily News | date=[[2006-02-02]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref>

In [[Wrentham, Massachusetts]] [[State Senator]] [[Scott P. Brown]] (R) was invited to speak at [[King Philip Regional High School]] to talk about his position against [[Same-sex marriage|gay marriage]]. During the speech, Brown read verbatim several posts attacking him from a Facebook group dedicated to a pro-gay rights history teacher. Often he included both verbatim profanity and the names of the students who wrote them.<ref name="senbrown">{{cite news | url=http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?2007/02/09/2 | title=Senator repeats bad language written about him | publisher=Associated Press | date=[[2007-09-02]] | accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref>

Militant members of the [[Animal Liberation Front]] (ALF) in Britain have threatened students at Oxford who support the university's proposed South Parks laboratory saying they are legitimate targets for attack. A counter-activist group called [[Pro-Test]] has warned students not to support the lab's construction on Facebook as they believe ALF is monitoring the site.<ref name=oxford>{{cite news | first=Jessica | last=Goodman | url=http://www.oxfordstudent.com/ht2006wk3/news/students_will_be_the_next_target | title=Students will be the next target | publisher=Oxford Student | date=[[2006-02-02]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref>

According to Facebook's privacy policy, Facebook reserves the right to release the information that users provide (including favorite movies, television shows, books, music, etc.) to organizations.

== Responses ==
=== Schools block access ===
The [[University of New Mexico]] in October 2005 blocked access to Facebook from UNM campus computers and networks, citing unsolicited [[e-mail]]s and a similar site called UNM Facebook.<ref name=lobo>{{cite news | first=Caleb | last=Fort | url=http://www.dailylobo.com/news/2005/10/12/News/Cirt-Blocks.Access.To.Facebook.com-1017983.shtml | title=CIRT blocks access to Facebook.com | publisher=Daily Lobo (University of New Mexico) | date=[[2005-10-12]] | accessdate=2006-04-03}}</ref> After a UNM user signed into Facebook from off campus, a message from Facebook said, "We are working with the UNM administration to lift the block and have explained that it was instituted based on erroneous information, but they have not yet committed to restore your access." UNM, in a message to students who tried to access the site from the UNM network, wrote, "This site is temporarily unavailable while UNM and the site owners work out procedural issues. The site is in violation of UNM's [[Acceptable Use Policy|Acceptable Computer Use Policy]] for abusing computing resources (e.g., spamming, [[trademark infringement]], etc.). The site forces use of UNM credentials (e.g., NetID or email address) for non-UNM business." However, after Facebook created an encrypted login and displayed a precautionary message not to use university passwords for access, UNM unblocked access the following spring semester.<ref name="UNMUnlbock">{{cite news |url=http://www.unm.edu/~market/cgi-bin/archives/001003.html |title=Popular web site, Facebook.com, back online at UNM |accessdate=2007-04-15 |date=2006-01-19 |publisher=University of New Mexico}}</ref>

The ''[[Columbus Dispatch]]'' reported on [[June 22]], [[2006]], that [[Kent State University]]'s [[athletic director]] had planned to ban the use of Facebook by athletes and gave them until [[August 1]] to delete their accounts.<ref>{{cite news
|first = Ryan
|last = Loew
|title = Kent banning athlete Web profiles
|url = http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=194268
|publisher = The Columbus Dispatch
|date = [[June 22]], [[2006]]
|accessdate = 2006-10-06
}}</ref> On [[July 5]], [[2006]], the ''[[Daily Kent Stater]]'' reported that the director reversed the decision after reviewing the privacy settings of Facebook.

=== Organizations blocking Facebook ===
[[Ontario]] government employees, MPPs, and cabinet ministers were blocked from access to Facebook on government computers in [[May]] [[2007]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20070503/facebook_ontario_070503?hub=TorontoHome|publisher=CTV news|title=Organizations blocking facebook}}</ref> When the employees tried to access Facebook, a warning message "The Internet website that you have requested has been deemed unacceptable for use for government business purposes". This warning appears when employees try to access [[YouTube]], gambling or pornographic websites.<ref>http://www.thestar.com/News/article/210014</ref>

=== Facebook memorials ===
A notable ancillary effect of social networking websites, particularly Facebook, is the ability for participants to mourn publicly for a deceased individual. On Facebook, students often leave messages of sadness, grief, or hope on the individual's page, transforming it into a sort of public book of condolences. This particular phenomenon has been documented at a number of schools.<ref>[http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/521293.html Net generation grieves with Facebook postings]</ref><ref>[http://media.www.thetowerlight.com/media/storage/paper957/news/2006/11/16/Technology/On.Facebook.Life.After.Death-2463179.shtml On Facebook, life after death]</ref><ref>[http://clemsonews.clemson.edu/WWW_releases/2006/May/souers/index.html Suspect in Souers' Death in Maximum Security Prison]</ref><ref name=collegeheightsherald>{{cite news | first=Dylan | last=Prott | url=http://www.wkuherald.com/media/storage/paper603/news/2006/11/14/News/Son-Friend.Remembered.As.free.Spirit-2457787.shtml?norewrite200612140743&sourcedomain=www.wkuherald.com | title=Son, friend remembered as 'free spirit' | publisher=College Heights Herald | date=[[2006-11-14]] | accessdate=2006-12-14}}</ref><ref name=umkc>{{cite news | first=Emily | last=Iorg | url=http://www.unews.com/news/2005/12/05/News/Student.Colby.Mclain.Remembered-1122882.shtml | title=Student Colby McLain remembered | publisher=University News | date=[[2005-12-05]] | accessdate=2006-04-10}}</ref><ref name=charlottesville>{{cite news | first=Sarah | last=Batista | url=http://www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv/news/headlines/1999437.html | title=UVA Student Remembered | publisher=Charlottesville Newsplex | date=[[2005-11-21]] | accessdate=2006-04-10}}</ref><ref name=freepress>{{cite news | first=Matt | last=Negrin | url=http://www.dailyfreepress.com/news/2005/11/21/News/University.Responds.To.Smg.Juniors.Death-1111578.shtml | title=University responds to SMG junior's death | publisher=Daily Free Press | date=[[2005-11-21]] | accessdate=2006-04-10}}</ref><ref name=burlingtonfreepress>{{cite news | first=Michelle | last=Gardner-Quinn | url=http://burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061015/NEWS/61015027 | title=UVM Memorializes Slain Student | publisher=Burlington Free Press | date=[[2006-10-15]] | accessdate=2006-10-15}}</ref><ref name=dailyherald>{{cite news | first=Stephanie | last=Bernhard | url=http://www.browndailyherald.com/media/paper472/news/2006/01/25/CampusNews/Community.Mourns.Death.Of.Pagan.06-1504200.shtml?norewrite200603280837&sourcedomain=www.browndailyherald.com | title=Community mourns death of Pagan '06 | publisher=Brown Daily Herald | date=[[2006-01-25]] | accessdate=2006-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/comsite5/bin/pdinventory.pl?pdlanding=1&referid=2930&purchase_type=ITM&item_id=0286-24383822|title =Ohio State U.: Facebook used as a memorial to remember Ohio State U. student.}}</ref>
Previously, Facebook had stated that its official policy on the matter was to remove the profile of the deceased one month after he or she has died,<ref>Kristina Kelleher, [http://media.www.browndailyherald.com/media/storage/paper472/news/2007/02/22/Features/Facebook.Profiles.Become.Makeshift.Memorials-2736508.shtml?mkey=2429152 Facebook profiles become makeshift memorials], The Brown Daily Herald, [[2007]]-[[02-22]]</ref> preventing the profile from being used for communal mourning, citing privacy concerns. Due to user response, Facebook amended its policy. (For examples of user petitions and discussion of the issues surrounding facebook memorialization, see the walls for the Facebook groups "Facebook Memorialization Is Misguided: Dead Friends Are Still People"<ref>[http://upenn.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2785485042]</ref> and "Write to Facebook about Memorialization"<ref>[http://upenn.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2384377142]</ref>) Its new policy is to place deceased members' profiles in a "memorialization state."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2007-05-08-facebook-vatech_N.htm?csp=34 | title=USAToday article | publisher=USAToday | date=[[2007-05-08]]}}</ref>

Additional usage of Facebook as a tool of remembrance is expressed in group memberships on the site. Now that groups are community-wide and available among all networks, many users create Facebook groups to remember not only a deceased friend or individual, but also as a source of support in response to a great tragedy such as 9/11 or the [[Virginia Tech massacre|crisis at Virginia Tech]] in April.

=== Customization and security ===
Facebook is often compared to [[MySpace]] but one significant difference between the two sites is the level of customization. [[MySpace]] allows users to decorate their profiles using [[HTML]] and [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]] while Facebook only allows [[plain text]]. However, a number of users have tweaked their profiles by using "hacks." On [[February 24]], [[2006]], a pair of users exploited a [[cross-site scripting]] (XSS) hole on the profile page and created a fast-spreading worm, loading a custom CSS file on infected profiles that made them look like [[MySpace]] profiles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://llamaguy.com/index.php/5/Why+XSS+is+my+favorite+type+of+vulnerability.html |title=Why XSS is my favorite type of vulnerability |accessdate=2006-10-15 |last=Laverdet |first=Marcel |date=2006-02-26}}</ref> Incidentally, both users are now employed by Facebook. On [[April 19]], [[2006]], a user was able to embed an [[HTML element|iframe]] into his profile and load a custom off-site page featuring a [[Streaming media|streaming video]] and a [[Online game|flash game]] from ''Drawball''. He has since been banned from Facebook.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.custommusicrecords.com/facebook.html |title=The Super Facebook Saga |accessdate=2006-11-27 |last=Romero |first=John}}</ref> On [[March 26]], [[2006]], a user was able to embed [[JavaScript]] in the "Hometown" field of his profile which imported his custom CSS.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hyalineskies.com/2006/03/facelifting-the-facebook/ |title=Facelifting the Facebook |accessdate=2006-11-27 |date=2006-03-26}}</ref> In each case, Facebook quickly patched the holes, typically within hours of their discovery.

== Imitators ==
[http://www.vkontakte.ru Vkontakte] (В Контакте - translated as "In Contact"), is a Russian Facebook clone made by Pavel Durov (Павел Дуров). It is one of the fastest growing websites in the .ru community, according to [http://alexa.com/site/ds/top_sites?cc=RU&ts_mode=country&lang=none Alexa Web Search]. Ironically, most Russian users are not aware of Facebook's existence and are quite surprised to find out that English-speakers enjoy a similar social community.
[http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vkontakte.ru Vkontakte Russian Wikipedia Article]. It should be noted though that Pavel Durov acknowledges the fact that Facebook.com served as a model for Vkontakte.ru [http://vkontakte.ru/blog.php?nid=30 History Of Vkontakte.ru (In Russian)]

Other Facebook clones throughout the world include German [http://www.studivz.net StudiVZ], Dutch [http://www.hyves.nl Hyves], and Australian [http://studentface.com.au StudentFace]. All these sites share Facebook's success in their corresponding countries to a certain extent, according to [[Alexa]], thus showing the efficiency of Facebook's model in other communities.

== Additional features ==
===The Wall===
The Wall is a space on each user's profile page that allows friends to post messages for the user to see. One user's wall is visible to anyone with the ability to see their full profile, and different user's wall posts show up in an individual's News Feed. Many users use their friend's walls for leaving short, temporal notes. More private discourse is saved for Messages, which are sent to a person's Inbox, and are visible only to the sender and recipient(s) of the Message, much like [[E-mail|email]].

In July 2007, Facebook allowed users to post attachments to the wall <ref>{{cite web |last=Der |first=Kevin |url=http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=3532972130 |title=Facebook is off-the-wall |accessdate=2007-07-30 }}</ref>, whereas previously the wall was limited to textual content only.

=== Gifts ===
[[Image:Facebook gifts.png|right|thumb|300px|Some of Facebook's gifts, as displayed in the website's gift shop.]]
In February [[2007]], Facebook added a new gift feature to the website. Friends could send "gifts" (small icons of novelty items) to each other by selecting one from Facebook's virtual gift shop and adding a message. Gifts given to a user appear on the recipient's wall with the giver's message, unless the giver decided to give the gift privately, in which case the giver's name and message is not displayed to other users. Additionally, all gifts (including private gifts) received by a user are displayed in the recipient's "gift box" (right above their wall on their profile), marked with either the [[Given name|first name]] of the user (for public gifts) or the word "Private." An "Anonymous" option is also available, by which anyone with profile access can see the gift, but only the recipient will see the message. No one will see the giver's name, and the gift will go in the recipient's gift box but not the wall.

Some Facebook users are given one free gift to give; each additional gift given by a user costs US$1.00. The initial selection of gifts was [[Valentine's Day]] themed, and 50% of the proceeds received through February 2007 were donated to the charity [[Susan G. Komen for the Cure]]. After the month of February, the proceeds were no longer donated. Soon after, Facebook began making one new gift available each day, most of which had a limited supply or were available for a limited time. The daily new gift is advertised on every user's home page.

With the advent of Applications came a way to subvert the required US$1.00 payment; however, the gifts in the "Free Gifts" application, created by Zachary Allia<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.insidefacebook.com/2007/06/08/free-gifts-one-ups-facebook-using-their-own-platform|title=facebook gifts|publisher=insidefacebook.com|}}</ref>, are not the same as the official gifts, as they are displayed in a different manner.

=== Marketplace ===
In May 2007, Facebook introduced the Facebook Marketplace allowing users to post free classified ads within the following categories: For Sale, Housing, Jobs, and Other. Ads can be posted in either available or wanted format.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.physorg.com/news98196557.html |title=Facebook Adds Marketplace of Classified Ads |accessdate=2007-05-15 |date=2007-05-12}}</ref> The market place is available for all Facebook users and is currently free.

===Pokes===
Facebook includes a "poke" feature which allows one user to send a "poke" to another. In principle this is intended to serve as a "nudge" to attract the attention of the other user. However while many Facebook users, as intended, use the feature to attract attention or say hello,<ref>{{cite news |last=Arrington |first=J. Michael |title=85% of College Students use FaceBook |publisher=[[TechCrunch]] |date=2005-09-07 |url=http://www.techcrunch.com/2005/09/07/85-of-college-students-use-facebook |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> some users construe it as a sexual advance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.www.browndailyherald.com/media/storage/paper472/news/2006/04/03/Features/Facebook.poke.Leads.To.Awkward.OneNighter-1777165.shtml?sourcedomain=www.browndailyherald.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com| | title =Facebook 'poke' leads to awkward one-nighter}}</ref> This interpretation of the feature inspired a popular Facebook group entitled "Enough with the Poking, Lets Just Have Sex," which, as of June 2007, has more than 200,000 members.

There are several new applications such as "X Me" by Jia Shen and "SuperPoke!" by Nikil Gandhy, Will Liu and Jonathan Hsu of Slide Inc., that allow users to do more than just poke other users. They can do various things using these applications such as hug, pinch, bite, kiss, tickle, or trip.

=== Status ===
The "status" feature allows users to inform their friends and the Facebook community of their current whereabouts and actions. Facebook prompts the status update with "(User name) is..." and Facebook users fill in the rest. Status updates are noted in the "Recently updated" section of a users' friend list. After the [[Virginia Tech massacre]], one Virginia Tech Facebook member updated her status to let friends and family know she was safe.<ref>{{cite web|title=Students Turn to Social Networking Sites for Info|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=3046434&page=1|author=Mayerowtiz, Scott|date=[[2006-04-16]]|accessdate=2006-05-23}}</ref>

=== Applications ===

On [[May 25]], [[2007]], Facebook launched the Facebook Platform which provides a framework for developers (anyone) to create applications that interact with core Facebook features.

Among the most popular applications are [http://apps.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2425101550 Top Friends], which allows users to select and display their favorite friends; [http://apps.facebook.com/graffitiwall Graffiti], which gives users a visual version of Facebook's wall; and [[iLike]], a social music discovery service that features concert information and music trivia games. Third-party websites such as [http://appaholic.com Appaholic], which provides application metrics, and blogs such as [http://www.apprate.com AppRate], [http://insidefacebook.com Inside Facebook] and [http://facereviews.com Face Reviews] have sprung up in response to the clamor for Facebook applications.

On [[July 10]], [[2007]] [[Bay Partners]] announced [http://www.baypartners.com/appfactory/ appfactory], a [[venture capital]] seed program dedicated solely to Facebook applications.

Dozens of new applications are appearing daily, with over 2200 as of [[July 30]]. Some of these are reasonably straightforward, easy to use and cause few operational problems. Others are more ambitious, in scope, consequence and operation, and lead to various problems not properly foreseen by the programmers. [[Books iRead]] was added June 1, 2007, and gives Facebook users the opportunity to mark books they have read (or plan to read, or decide not to read). The Application also encourages users to write their own book reviews. Prospective readers may therefore see opinions voiced by friends and by other users of each given book (hence creating a way of learning about books as well as of people). Problems not yet sorted out well, after two full months of operation, are related to
(i) limited catalogues, too narrowly selected from essentially American and English ISBN catalogues
(though about 300,000 books are catalogued by August 1, 2007);
(ii) multiple editions of the same book;
(iii) lack of alphabetical sorting;
(iv) frequent glitches and errors that need reparations and modifications.
In different software evolution environments such applications products and products would not be set loose on the market without more extensive testing and, but Facebook apparently allows Applications to go public without such testing. There are inbuilt methods of speedy communication
from the users of each Application to its programmers and maintainers, though. Facebook offers no guarantee that their Applications will work properly.

=== Facebook Markup Language ===<!-- This section is linked from [[FBML]] -->
Facebook Markup Language is a subset of [[Hypertext Markup Language|HTML]]. It allows Facebook application writers to customize the "look and feel" of their applications, to a limited extent.

== Statistics ==
''(Approximate numbers as of July 2007)''.<ref name=FBblog2>{{cite web | last =Abram | first =Carolyn| year =2007 | url =http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2245132130 | title ="Have a taste" - Facebook blog entry | format =blog | date =[[2007-02-23]] }}</ref>
* '''Users:''' Over 30 million<ref name=FBblog3/>
* '''Monthly new user average:''' 4 million
* '''Daily new user average:''' 150,000
* '''Page views:''' Over 15 billion per month
* '''Searches:''' Over 500 million per month<ref>http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2535632130</ref>
* '''[[RAM]] in [[memcache]] servers:''' 2 [[Terabyte|TB]]
* '''Search index size:''' 200[[Gigabyte|GB]]
* '''Largest network:''' [[London]], [[UK]] 839,646
* '''Smallest network:''' [[Columbia]], [[SA]] 157+
* '''Traffic rank:''' 12th<ref name=alexatrafficrank/>
* '''Photos:''' 1.7 billion<ref>http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2406207130</ref>
On [[March 2]], [[2007]], a poll conducted by eMarketer.com of American youths in the United States discovered Facebook was the most viewed site among all respondents with more females aged 17-25 (69%) visiting the site than males (56%).<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1004636 | title= Facebook Extends Lead As Fave Young Adult Site | publisher=eMarketer | date=[[2007-03-02]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Social network service]]
* [[List of social networking websites]]
* [[Use of social network websites in investigations]]

==References==
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count: 2; column-count: 2;">
<references/>
</div>

== External links ==
* [http://www.facebook.com Facebook]
* [http://blog.facebook.com The Official Facebook Blog]
* [http://developers.facebook.com/ Facebook Platform]
* [http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/Main_Page Facebook developer wiki] (editing restricted to Facebook users)

[[Category:2004 establishments]]
[[Category:Companies based in Silicon Valley]]
[[Category:Global internet community]]
[[Category:Online social networking]]
[[Category:Student culture]]

[[af:Facebook]]
[[ca:Facebook]]
[[da:Facebook]]
[[de:Facebook]]
[[es:Facebook]]
[[fr:Facebook]]
[[nl:Facebook]]
[[ja:Facebook]]
[[no:Facebook]]
[[nn:Facebook]]
[[pl:Facebook]]
[[pt:Facebook]]
[[fi:Facebook]]
[[sv:Facebook]]
[[zh:Facebook]]

Revision as of 23:39, 3 August 2007

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Facebook&oldid=149032590"