Facebook: An Introduction

What are social networking sites?

They are a way of getting in touch with old friends and keeping in touch with current ones. Facebook allows each user to set up a "profile" of themselves, listing details of their school and university career, as well as allowing them to upload photos and video clips to share. Each person's profile can be viewed by people listed as "friends". Facebook friends can also post comments on each other's "wall" -a kind of instant email service.

MySpace and Bebo work in a similar way, although MySpace has become more known for its association with aspiring bands, who often upload their latest music on to their MySpace page in the hope that it will be spotted by bigwigs in the music industry.

Facebook also allows users to notify their friends of forthcoming events, and groups of common interest can be set up. There are groups covering everything from the state of the chicken nugget to the vagaries of Adam Smith's moral philosophy.

New features seem to appear daily. Members can now hug and high-five each other, and even set up an electronic aquarium or do some pruning in their virtual garden. A new language has stemmed from social networking sites, too, for example "poke" is an electronic greeting between Facebook members. The latest edition of the Collins dictionary included the word "me-media" to describe internet sites like MySpace and Facebook.

Exactly how popular are they?

MySpace, bought by Rupert Murdoch for $580m (£283m) in 2005, remains the most popular in the UK, with about 6.5 million users. But its rivals Facebook and Bebo are hot on its heels, with Facebook growing 19 times faster than MySpace.

Although Facebook started out as a site for US college students, it is relatively more popular with UK internet users. According to the internet market research firm NetRatings, if Bebo and Facebook continue to grow at their current rate, they will be as popular as MySpace by September.

Bebo's success is more limited to the UK, but its users spend more time on it than the other sites. It has had particular success in Ireland, where it claims to be the country's No 1 internet site.

Who is joining Facebook?

At the rate Facebook is growing, the question should really be, who isn't? It claims to have 30 million users around the world, with 150,00 joining each day. Although it used to be open only to undergraduates and graduates from certain universities and colleges, it has recently been opened up for anyone to join, and it is no longer the preserve of the 18 to 24 age group.

A recent survey by analysts at comScore Media Metrix found that the most dramatic growth in the use of social networking sites was occurring among 25- to 34-year-olds, and the number of users aged 35 and older had grown by 98 per cent between May 2006 and May 2007.

Jack Flanagan, the company's executive vice-president, said: "Since the decision to open MySpace registration to everyone, the internet networking site has seen visitors from all age groups flood the site.

"As the overall visitation to Facebook continues to grow, the demographic composition of the site will likely more closely resemble that of the total internet audience."

In other words, we may all soon be signing up.

So should we all be on it?

Several politicians seem to think so. Many have been queuing up to gain the youthful kudos that goes with joining Facebook. All the contenders for Labour's deputy leadership created a Facebook page, with the exception of Jon Cruddas. David Miliband has also signed up. Even Prince William created a profile, before having to take it down after being bombarded with "pokes" and friend requests. Lily Allen's musings on her MySpace page have helped it gather a loyal readership.

Despite the hype, there are downsides to joining the social networking phenomenon. Oxford University's student union urged its members to tighten their Facebook profile privacy settings earlier this month after discovering that dons were trawling the site for evidence of post-exam misbehaviour. And it's not just students who need be concerned. More employers are scouring Facebook to check up on current or prospective employees, meaning that it might not be a good idea to be too revealing online about your private life.

Should we all join Facebook?

Yes...

* It is an easy way of finding old friends and keeping in touch with new ones

* You can organise events and outings without endless phoning around

* Their rate of growth suggests most of us will be logging on to a social networking site soon

No...

* The personal information can be used by identity thieves if you post too much

* Everyone from your past will be able to track you down, whether you want them to or not

* Employers are now using the sites to check up on the behaviour of their staff

By Michael Savage
http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article2802586.ece