www.facebook.com
"Facebook is a social networking website launched in February 2004 and operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc.[1] Users can add people as friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by workplace, school, or college. The website's name stems from the colloquial name of books given to students at the start of the academic year by university administrations in the US with the intention of helping students to get to know each other better. Anyone over the age of 13 can become a Facebook user, (Wikipedia,2010)."
Services Provided by Facebook
-Free online account
-Communication – Wall messages, private messages, status, news feed
-Can store your own Photos/ Videos – restricted or unrestricted photo albums
-Mobile face book
-Games, quizzes, birthday reminders/ calendars
-Advertisements/ Competitions
-Sharing links- youtube etc
Facebook is a very interactive site. Facebook offers interactive games, where you can invite your friends and play online with them. Facebook now has chat where you can instant message your friends when they appear online. You are constantly keeping in touch with your friends and family by your "Status" and the "News Feed" that appears in every individuals account. Everybody who creates an online Facebook account, contributes to this site. Facebook is a huge online community which is growing everyday.
So why do people use Facebook?...
Many people who join Facebook simply do it to stay in contact with friends and family. Facebook is a great way to simply say “Hi” to old school friends or to family who are living overseas. People choose to contribute to this community as it is a good way to express your personal thoughts and feelings to people all over the world. For some people this gives them a sense of beonging. People can also “Like” fan pages which gives them a chance to feel like they belong, as they are grouped with a range of different people with the same dislikes and likes as them. For example, “I love Edward Cullen group”.
Here is an example of a topic been discussed on Facebook about Free Will!!
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=172484249794&topic=20297#!/topic.php?uid=172484249794&topic=20504
Ethical Issues...
Internet communities can be very dangerous if not properly informed on the risk that you are taken when singing up a account. Some of the ethical issues that can arise is privacy. As Facebook is viva the internet, people can access your personal information from all over the world if the privacy settings are not set at a restricted level. Some people take advantage of this free online facebook account and can create a false identity, pretending to be someone else. This can be dangerous as it may provide users with false infomation reagarding a persons personal infomation. Here are some more ethical issues that arise..
•Lack of real identity
•Identities can be stolen
•Misuse of telecommunication tools
•Copyright can be breached
•Information can be used or misused on the internet illegally, with little or no control.
The benefits Facebook holds over traditional notions of community..
Facebook provides instant free communication to friends and family all over the world. Facebook does this through instant chat, private messages, photos and wall posts, and ITS FREE!!
What this community lacks or can not provide which traditional communities can..
If the power fails or the computer breaks down, you are alienated from your online community leaving you isolated and alone. Online communities lack the personal interaction. Looking at a screen and talkin to some is very inpersonal, whereas going out and meeting someone in person is much more a personal activity. I truely believe that you dont really know someone untill you have met them in person.. Meeting someone in person lets you share a connection with them, from just a hand shake, or to just see them laugh or smile!
(Google Images, 2010)
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