The network is made up of hundreds of separate networks based around schools, businesses and regions. Although registration is now open to the public, the site still caters to a college and high school demographic focusing on networking through groups and social activism.
Profiles allow users to post pictures, comments, blogs and apps. Additionally, it has some of the best privacy options on the Internet. We felt that Facebook really encouraged using the site to foster relationships with people you already know, or friends of friends. Within hours, we were already in touch with scores of old friends, relatives and acquaintances.
The only real griping we could do concerns Facebook’s lack of customization options. However, most users like the design and uniform feel of the site the way it is. Choosing between MySpace and Facebook is really a matter of interface preference and going to where your friends are. But, if you’re new to the whole social networking thing, Facebook is the place to be.
Profiles:
Facebook’s website design is straightforward; it has few graphics or decoration, but they managed to create a uniform utilitarian interface that most users adore. Although you can’t customize skins or change your color scheme, you can rearrange the position of some of your information boxes on your profile by simply dragging and dropping them to other spots on the screen.
Unlike MySpace, your Facebook backend looks exactly like what others see on the site when they look at your profile. You see what they will see.
When you register, your location and/or school become your first “networks,” from there you can search for others in your network looking for friends or colleagues.
Once you’ve found someone you want to connect with, send them a message, see a list of their friends and invite them into your network of friends. Share photos, notes and news feeds. Your friends can also post comments on your profile wall.
Facebook apps are probably the most appealing aspect of the site. One of the first social networking sites to incorporate third-party applications into the system; you have a variety of options to choose from. You can add quizzes, support tags, feeds and more.
Some other interesting aspects to Facebook profiles are the automatic linking and News Feed. The automatic linking happens when you place a specific noun in your interest or education section. The link will direct you to others that also have the same interests written down or school selected. It’s not a perfect science, but kind of fun to see which other members share your music, movie or book selections.
The News Feeds work like mini spies. If you subscribe to someone’s feed or if you are subscribed, your friends can see what music you are listening to, the website you are on or what you’ve just bought on Amazon.
Security:
Users must be at least 13 years old to register with Facebook. In their Terms of Service agreement, Facebook states that they do not allow offensive content such as sexually charged language and explicit photos; however, they also state that it is not their responsibility to closely monitor the content on their website. They encourage members to report content they find offensive, Facebook provides a “report this person” link on all profile pages.
Facebook has some of the most specific and custom privacy setting of all the services we reviewed. In addition to making your entire profile private you can select which section of your profile you would like displayed and to whom. For example, your Wall can be open to everyone, but your photographs can be set to only display to your friends or friends of friends. The same is true for your personal information, education, work and contact information.
Facebook also allows you to block individual users, report spam and report profile abuse. Additionally, you cannot browse through the Facebook database without registering.
Networking Features:
Facebook’s bread and butter are their groups. Much like college campuses create groups, so does Facebook. You can join your favorite band, political candidate and local organizations. They have more than 500 groups in 23 categories.
Facebook has really ramped up its networking features. Before it used to be just a simple place for people with similar interests to, well, network. Now, they are filling it up with additional options like apps, and instant messaging, forums, photo tagging and more. Facebook also allows you to send whole photo albums to friends even if they are not members of the Facebook community.
Recently they’ve put more emphasis on additional features like uploading personal videos and expanding the marketplace. We also found an app for Facebook Mobile, a mobile version of Facebook that can be accessed on your phone.Search:
You can’t search or browse Facebook’s database without becoming a registered user. You must join at least one network to browse or search for people. Click on “Join a Network” and choose a network based on your location or school affiliation. Click on “browse” and a list of random members within your new network are displayed. You can also see a list of groups within your network.
Unlike similar sites it is more difficult to just go into a section and “search” for members. You have to look them up through your school or work or city connected through links on your profile. Once you start making friends you can then search for more friends through your friends' networks.
You can also look for people simply by name, email address or AIM buddy list and Windows Live.
Help/Support:
Facebook includes a comprehensive help section complete with 'getting started.' The FAQs are broken down according to the various sections of the site like account settings, privacy and security, applications, advertising, social ads, mobile and more. There is also a section for you to submit suggestions and an entire section dedicated to safety for parents and users.
Legitimate Friend Focus:
Facebook encourages you to be friends with people outside the Internet and to use their site as a commonality among you and your real life friends. In the time we had a Facebook account we did not receive one piece of junk mail or phony friend request. We felt completely safe using this service and not once did we get that creepy chat room feeling of strangers looking for age/sex/location or “how you doin’?” In direct comparison to MySpace, Facebook has kept the presence of spammers and trollers to a minimum.
Summary:
Facebook is a great social networking website that doesn’t waste time with fluorescent eye candy. This is a no-nonsense site with plenty of networking options, and with the open source apps and friendly atmosphere you really can’t go wrong.
Additionally, this is one site we felt the safest on. While most people have accounts with both Facebook and MySpace, Facebook reigns as the go-to site for staying in touch with friends and family, reuniting with old friends, and meeting new friends. If you’re still not on the Facebookbandwagon, we just have one question: what are you waiting for?
Curious to see what we thought about our runner up, MySpace and other social networking sites? Check out our side-by-side feature comparisons.
