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Facebook allows different networks and groups to which many users can join. It also allows privacy settings on basis of networks. Groups are used for discussions and events etc. Groups are a way of enabling a number of people to come together online to share information and discuss specific subjects. They are increasingly used by clubs, companies and public sector organizations to engage with stakeholders - be they members of the public, employees, members, service users, shareholders or customers. A group includes but is not limited to the following: the members who have joined, recent news contents, discussion board contents, wall contents, photos, posted items, videos and all associated comments of such items. In this respect, groups are similar to pages but contain more features{{citation needed|date=January 2010|reason=I thought quite the opposite, e.g. you can't add RSS to groups and updates to groups are less "advertised".}}. Groups are limited to roughly 300 groups per user.
Facebook allows different networks and groups to which many users can join. It also allows privacy settings on basis of networks. Groups are used for discussions and events etc. Groups are a way of enabling a number of people to come together online to share information and discuss specific subjects. They are increasingly used by clubs, companies and public sector organizations to engage with stakeholders - be they members of the public, employees, members, service users, shareholders or customers. A group includes but is not limited to the following: the members who have joined, recent news contents, discussion board contents, wall contents, photos, posted items, videos and all associated comments of such items. In this respect, groups are similar to pages but contain more features{{citation needed|date=January 2010|reason=I thought quite the opposite, e.g. you can't add RSS to groups and updates to groups are less "advertised".}}. Groups are limited to roughly 300 groups per user.


Individuals or companies can create "Like Pages" which allows users to "like" the individual, product, service, or concept. Pages look and behave much like a user's personal private profile, with some significant differences. Public Profiles are integrated with Facebook's advertising system, allowing Public Profile owners to easily advertise to Facebook's users. Owners can send updates to their fans, which shows up on their home page. They also have access to [[Insight#In_marketing|insights]] and analytics of their fan base.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?pages | title=Facebook Pages | author=[[Facebook]]}}</ref> Early on, users had the option to "become a fan" of the page until April 19, 2010 when the option was later changed to "like" the page, However, on the 2nd May, it was reverted back to "Become a Fan".
Individuals or companies can create "Like Pages" which allows users to "like" the individual, product, service, or concept. Pages look and behave much like a user's personal private profile, with some significant differences. Public Profiles are integrated with Facebook's advertising system, allowing Public Profile owners to easily advertise to Facebook's users. Owners can send updates to their fans, which shows up on their home page. They also have access to [[Insight#In_marketing|insights]] and analytics of their fan base.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?pages | title=Facebook Pages | author=[[Facebook]]}}</ref> Early on, users had the option to "become a fan" of the page until April 19, 2010 when the option was later changed to "like" the page.


==Chat ==
==Chat ==

Revision as of 18:33, 7 May 2010

Facebook is a social networking website. This is a list of features that can be found on the Facebook website. Basic features include friend networking with others and posting on a "Wall" or "commenting" on pictures.

Publisher

Publisher is the main feature to post information and messages which appear on the user's own Wall, on their friend's Walls, as well as the News Feed on the Home page.[1][2] It appears at the top of the Home page, Profile Wall page as well as friend's Wall page. For the user there is a 420 character limit, with a 1000 character limit when posting on a friend's Wall. In comparison, Twitter has a 140 character limit.

News Feed

On 6 September 2006, Farooq Khan announced a new home page feature called News Feed.[3] Originally, when users logged into Facebook, they were presented with a customizable version of their own profile. The new layout, by contrast, created an alternative home page in which users saw a constantly updated list of their friends' Facebook activity. News Feed highlights information that includes profile changes, upcoming events, and birthdays, among other updates. This has enabled spammers and other users to manipulate these features by creating illegitimate events or posting fake birthdays to attract attention to their profile or cause.[4] News Feed also shows conversations taking place between the walls of a user's friends. An integral part of the News Feed interface is the Mini-Feed, a news stream on the user's profile page that shows updates about that user. Unlike in the News Feed, the user can delete events from the Mini-Feed after they appear so that they are no longer visible to profile visitors.

Initially, the addition of the News Feed caused some discontent among Facebook users. Many users complained that the News Feed was too cluttered and full of undesired information. Others were concerned that the News Feed made it too easy for other people to track activities like changes in relationship status, events, and conversations with other users. This tracking is often casually referred to as "Facebook-Stalking", a phrase coined on September 15, 2004 at Rutgers University.[5] In response to this dissatisfaction, creator Mark Zuckerberg issued an apology for the site's failure to include appropriate customizable privacy features. Thereafter, users were able to control what types of information were shared automatically with friends.[6] Currently, users may prevent friends from seeing updates about several types of especially private activities, although other events are not customizable in this way.[7]

With the introduction of the "New Facebook" - in early February 2010 - came a total redesign of the pages, several new features and changes to News Feeds.[8] On their personal Feeds (now integrated with Walls), users were given the option of removing updates from any application as well as choosing the size they show up on the page. Furthermore, the community feed (containing recent actions by the user's friends) contained options to instantly select whether to hear more or less about certain friends or applications.[9]

Wall

The Wall is a space on each user's profile page that allows friends to post messages for the user to see while displaying the time and date the message was written. One user's Wall is visible to anyone with the ability to see his or her full profile, and different users' Wall posts show up in an individual's News Feed. Many users use their friends' Walls for leaving short, temporal notes. More private discourse is saved for messages, which are sent to a user's inbox, and are visible only to the sender and recipient(s) of the message, much like email.

In July 2007, Facebook allowed users to post attachments to the Wall,[10] whereas previously the Wall was limited to text only. In May 2008, the Wall-to-Wall for each profile was limited to only 40 posts. Recently Facebook has allowed users to insert html code in boxes attached to the wall via apps like Static FBML which has allowed marketers to track use of their fan pages with Google Analytics. [11]

Photo and video uploads

Videos

During the time that Facebook released its platform, it also released an application of its own for sharing videos on Facebook.[12] Users can add their videos with the service by uploading video, adding video through Facebook Mobile, and using a webcam recording feature. Additionally, users can "tag" their friends in videos they add much like the way users can tag their friends in photos, except the location of the friend in the video is not displayed. Users also have the option of video messaging. Videos cannot be placed in categories, whereas photos are sorted by albums .

Notes

Facebook Notes was introduced on 22 August 2006, a blogging feature that allowed tags and embeddable images. Users were later able to import blogs from Xanga, LiveJournal, Blogger, and other blogging services.[13]

A recent use of Notes includes the Internet meme - "25 Random Things About Me" which involves writing 25 things about the user that their friends don't already know about them and using the tag function to ask 25 friends to also do so. Nearly 5 million "25 Random Things" notes were written on Facebook profiles in the first week of February 2009.[14]

Gifts

File:Facebook gifts.png
Some of Facebook's gifts, as displayed in the website's gift shop.

In February 2007, Facebook added a new virtual gift feature to the website. Friends could send gifts - small icons of novelty items designed by former Apple designer Susan Kare - 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 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 sees the message. None will see the giver's name, and the gift goes in the recipient's gift box but not the wall.

Facebook users are given one free gift to give upon registering their account. 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 net proceeds (after credit card processing fees were taken out, etc.) 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.

On 8 November 2008, Facebook changed the $1.00 per gift model to a micro-payment model of 100 points per $1.00, with the existing gifts costing 100 points. They plan to allow a wider variety of gifts in the future.

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,[15] are not the same as the official gifts, as they are displayed in a different manner.

Also, for a short time, objects related to the upcoming film The Twilight Saga: New Moon can be gifted from the official The Twilight Saga: New Moon Facebook page. These items include the Cullen family crest and a crescent moon. These virtual gifts are free.

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.[16] The market place is available for all Facebook users and is currently free.[17] . In 2009, Facebook transferred ownership of the Marketplace to Oodle[18].

Pokes

The poke feature is intended to be a "nudge" to attract the attention of another user. Whether poking someone is inappropriate is pretty much impossible to know. Many facebook users use this feature to attract attention or say "hello" to their friends.[19] A previous version of Facebook's FAQ gave additional insight into the origin of the feature, stating: "When we created the poke, we thought it would be cool to have a feature without any specific purpose. People interpret the poke in many different ways, and we encourage you to come up with your own meanings."

There are several applications on Facebook which extend the idea of the poke feature by allowing users to perform other actions to their friends (such as "kick" or "wave to"). People often reciprocate pokes back and forth until one side gives up, an event known as a "Poke War". [citation needed]

Status Updates

Facebook has a feature called "status updates" (also referred to simply as "status") which allows users to post messages for all their friends to read. In turn, friends can respond with their own comments, and also press the "Like" button to show that they enjoyed reading it. A user's most recent status update appears at the top of their profile, and is also noted in the "Recently updated" section of a user's friend list.

Originally, the purpose of the feature was to allow users to inform their friends of their current "status" (i.e. their current feelings, whereabouts or actions) by referring to themselves in the third person (e.g. "George is happy" or "John is with Robert at his house"). However, users are no longer required to write in the third person. Facebook originally prompted the status update with "Username is..." and Facebook users filled in the rest. However, on December 13, 2007, the requirement to start a status update with is was removed.[20] The question "What are you doing right now?" was introduced. In March 2009, the status update question was changed from "What are you doing right now?" to "What's on your mind?"[21]

In 2009, Facebook added the feature to tag certain friends (or groups etc) within one's status update by adding an @ character before their name, turning the friend's name into a link to their profile and including the message on the friend's wall.

Events

Facebook events are a way for members to let friends know about upcoming events in their community and to organize social gatherings.[22] Events require an event name, network, host name, event type, start and end time, location, and a guest list of friends invited. Events can be open, closed, or secret. When setting up an event the user can choose to allow friends to upload photos or videos.

Networks, groups and like pages

Facebook allows different networks and groups to which many users can join. It also allows privacy settings on basis of networks. Groups are used for discussions and events etc. Groups are a way of enabling a number of people to come together online to share information and discuss specific subjects. They are increasingly used by clubs, companies and public sector organizations to engage with stakeholders - be they members of the public, employees, members, service users, shareholders or customers. A group includes but is not limited to the following: the members who have joined, recent news contents, discussion board contents, wall contents, photos, posted items, videos and all associated comments of such items. In this respect, groups are similar to pages but contain more features[citation needed]. Groups are limited to roughly 300 groups per user.

Individuals or companies can create "Like Pages" which allows users to "like" the individual, product, service, or concept. Pages look and behave much like a user's personal private profile, with some significant differences. Public Profiles are integrated with Facebook's advertising system, allowing Public Profile owners to easily advertise to Facebook's users. Owners can send updates to their fans, which shows up on their home page. They also have access to insights and analytics of their fan base.[23] Early on, users had the option to "become a fan" of the page until April 19, 2010 when the option was later changed to "like" the page.

Chat

On April 5, 2008, Facebook pre-released Facebook Chat.[24][25] As of April 23, 2008, Facebook Chat was released to the entire Facebook user base. Users are only able to chat with their Facebook friends and on a one-to-one basis, although a user may chat with multiple friends simultaneously through separate chat interfaces. Instant messaging clients that currently support Facebook Chat include eBuddy, Flock, Miranda IM, Digsby, Adium, Palringo (Windows Mobile), Tokbox with a Firefox plugin as well as Pidgin with a cross-platform plug-in. Facebook Chat can also be run on the desktop using Gabtastik, a dedicated web chat browser. On May 13, 2008, a Facebook developer announced that they are working on XMPP support, allowing hundreds of instant messaging clients to interoperate with the service[26]; this functionality became operational on February 10, 2010[27]. A Facebook help article containing all the information required to connect most popular XMPP supporting IM clients to Facebook's chat service is available.

Notifications

Notifications of the more important events, e.g. someone sharing a link on the user's wall or commenting on a post the user previously commented on, appear in the bottom right, right of the chat feature. When online new notifications appear live, keeping the user up to speed with events as they are occurring.

Easter Eggs

  • Entering the Konami Code followed by Enter at the home page causes a lensflare-style series of circles to display when clicking, typing, or scrolling.
  • Facebook chat supports some unusual emoticons

Usernames

Starting June 13, 2009, Facebook introduced a feature that allowed users to choose a Facebook username to make user location easier. The user is able to direct others to their page through a simple link such as www.facebook.com/username rather than an otherwise complex URL. This feature on Facebook quickly spread, with more than 1 million users registering usernames in the first three hours.[28] Usernames are now available to any existing or newly registered user.

According to the FAQ, "Facebook reserves the right to remove and/or reclaim any username at any time for any reason".[29]

Platform

Main article: Facebook Platform

See also

References

  1. ^ Publisher. Facebook Developer Wiki. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  2. ^ Publisher. Facebook Help Center>Home Page. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  3. ^ Paul, Mohit (2006-09-06). "Facebook Gets a Facelift". The Facebook Blog. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  4. ^ "Facebook: Celebrate Your Birthday Every Day". Retrieved 2010-03-09.
  5. ^ Zuckerberg, Mark (2006-09-06). "Calm down. Breathe. We hear you". The Facebook Blog. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  6. ^ Zuckerberg, Mark (2006-09-08). "An Open Letter from Mark Zuckerberg". The Facebook Blog. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  7. ^ "Completely customize Facebook privacy settings". Retrieved 2010-03-09.
  8. ^ "The Facebook Blog - Introducing Your New Navigation".
  9. ^ "Feed - Facebook Developers Wiki".
  10. ^ Der, Kevin. "Facebook is off-the-wall". Retrieved 2007-07-30.
  11. ^ Tumurcuoglu, Herman. "How to Add Google Analytics to Your Facebook Fan Page". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  12. ^ Cashmore, Pete (2007-05-24). "Facebook Video Launches: YouTube Beware!". Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  13. ^ Abram, Carolyn (2006-09-26). "Welcome to Facebook, everyone". Facebook. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  14. ^ Quenqua, Douglas (2009-02-04). "Ah, Yes, More About Me? Here Are '25 Random Things'". NY Times.com. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  15. ^ "facebook gifts". insidefacebook.com.
  16. ^ "Facebook Adds Marketplace of Classified Ads". 2007-05-12. Retrieved 2007-05-15.
  17. ^ "Marketplace". Facebook. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  18. ^ Craig Donato (2009-03-03). "The New Facebook Marketplace Powered by Oodle".
  19. ^ Arrington, J. Michael (2005-09-07). "85% of College Students use FaceBook". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
  20. ^ "Facebook is... reconsidering the word is". Retrieved 2007-12-13.
  21. ^ Suddath, Claire (2009-03-13). "Facebook Wants to Read Your Mind". Time.com. Retrieved 2010-02-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ "Events". Facebook. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  23. ^ Facebook. "Facebook Pages". {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  24. ^ "Facebook Chat at TechCrunch". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  25. ^ "Facebook Chat at Facebook's support sites". Facebook. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  26. ^ "Using Facebook Chat via Jabber". David Reiss. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  27. ^ "Facebook Chat Launches XMPP Support". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
  28. ^ The 25 Weirdest Facebook Vanity URLs
  29. ^ Can Facebook take back a username that has already been claimed?


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