The virtual popularity contest

Facebook comes to MC

By Julie Trac
News Editor

Is Facebook.com listed as one of your internet favorites? Did you tell yourself that you would only check it once today and somehow that turned into once every hour?

We have all been there, and if you disagree, you are probably in denial.

The Facebook is an On-line directory that connects people through social networks.

According to Wired.com, Facebook connects more than 800 colleges and universities across the nation such as Yale, Stanford, and of course, Monmouth College.

More than 5,800 new users are added daily to this On-line yearbook where users can track down schoolmates from grade school to high school.

The site was founded in February 2004 by three Harvard sophomores, Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Hughes and Dustin Moskovitz, who were roommates at the time.

They created Facebook with the intention of getting to know other Harvard students living in different dormitories; however, the site became so popular that the founders started the Facebook at Yale, Stanford, and Columbia after one month of its success at Harvard.

Colleges and universities are added to the site based on the total number of requests Facebook receives from the students of that institution.

Junior Sarah Zaleski said, “It’s an amazing invention, because you can contact different kinds of people all across the country.”

Recently, the site expanded to include high schools which will be kept completely separate from the collegiate edition as well as photo albums where users can post pictures and write captions to include their Facebook friends.

At this time, not all schools have the feature; however, it should appear within the next few weeks.

Facebook users are able to post a photo and list geographic and biographic information, hobbies and interests, and even their class schedule. They can list as much or as little information about themselves.

In addition, users can create groups by common interest, organizations, sports or fraternity or sorority affiliation.

Current MC groups include: “My College is Smaller Than My High School,” “MC Facebook Addicts,” “Knox is For Cocks” and “Your Mom Goes to College (MC Chapter).”

Another feature of Facebook is the “poke.”        According to Facebook.com, poking is “a feature that [has] no real purpose and to see what happens from there. So mess around with it, because you’re not getting an explanation from us.”

MC was added to the long list of schools in early September of this year, and the member list continues to grow.

Props to those of you who have avoided the Facebook craze.

For those of you who have been sucked in, friend me!