Facebook is a free social networking website that allows users to create profiles and connect with friends. It began in 2004 as a Harvard student's project and has grown tremendously. Facebook now has over 60 million US users who can share photos, messages, and interests. While popular for socializing, Facebook also raises privacy and addiction concerns for some users.

1. Social Networking: Facebook LS 589: New Technology for Educators Jamie A. Lewis mslibrarian10@gmail.comNovember 22, 2009

2. What is Social Networking?A social network service focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.Social networks appeared as early as 1985 with the WELL. They continued to gain popularity and incorporate personal web pages as seen in Geocities around 1994. They became a common place item around 2002 with sites such as Friendster and Myspace.Popular sites today include Myspace, Twitter, Yahoo 360, and Facebook.

3. Facebook – What is it?Facebook is a free-access social networking website that allows users to join networks organized by region, school, workplace, or city in order to interact with other people.It allows individuals to create profiles that contain information such as personal interests, pictures, and affiliations. In addition, creating a profile allows users to e-mail, IM, and share videos with friends linked to their profiles.It is the second largest social network on the web, behind MySpace in terms of traffic.

4. Facebook – How did it originate?February 2004: “The Facebook,” was launched from a Harvard dorm room as a hobby project of student Mark Zuckerberg.August 2005: Facebook and the domain facebook.com was purchased for $200,000.September 2005: A high school version was launched with a required invitation to join. Next, eligibility to employees of certain companies was allowed. September 2006: Facebook was open to anyone with a valid e-mail address, over the age of 13.Present: Mark Zuckerberg servers as the CEO of Facebook and has been declared the youngest self-made billionaire in history.

5. Facebook – Who is using it?Facebook has over 60 million users in the United States comprised of users affiliated by city, region, workplace, or school. A reported 150,000 new users sign up daily.Most Facebook users are students. In 2005 a survey indicated that 85% of students in college have Facebook accounts, with 60% of them logging in daily.It is open to 7 other English-speaking countries, with more to follow.Employers have reported using Facebook as a way to look up applicants to get a better picture of them.In addition, campus police at some institutions use Facebook to incriminate students following an incident such as a party.

6. Facebook – How does it work?In order to create a profile, one must start by visiting www.facebook.com. Here, a valid e-mail address must be registered in order to create a profile.Once an account is created, a page can be updated as often as the user decides with pictures, blog-like entries, and friends.Users build networks of “friends” in order to communicate. “Friends” are people who have agreed to be added to one’s profile.A search option is available to help users connect with classmates, friends, coworkers, and any other people they may already know.Communication occurs through private messages, public notes on user profiles, or through an IM option.Revenue for the site is generated from advertising. Microsoft is Facebook’s exclusive partner for banner advertising.

7. Facebook – Why is it significant?For many, Facebook has become a tool associated with creating one’s self-identity. With Facebook, users, especially students, can make connections with others that make them feel accepted.Facebook functions as a “social utility” for companies as it serves the function of business networking and advertising.In general, it is an efficient way for people to communicate, get information, and share information quickly across the world.

8. Facebook - What are the implications for teaching and learning?Information literacy is an increasingly important aspect of higher education.Facebook gives students the opportunity to interact with technology in creative and useful ways and has the ability to teach students about appropriate citizenship in the online world.Technology, like Facebook, that has the ability to captivate students for long periods of time offers exciting opportunities for educators to tap into such technologies and incorporate them into teaching and learning.

9. What are the educational benefits of Social Networking?

10. Recap - How does social networking enhance learning?Social networking encourages digital natives to become digital citizens.Students suggest that social networks foster creativity and help improve their communication skills.The National School Boards Association reports that 60% of social networking students discuss educational topics.Social networking allows for communication between educators and students as well as educators and parents.

11. Facebook – What are the downsides?ControversyPrivacyAddictions

12. ControversySeveral schools and workplaces have blocked access to Facebook stating that it violated school’s Acceptable Use Policy and that it was not directly related to the workplace.Several countries, including Syria and Iran, have banned access based on the premise that it promoted attacks on authorities, allowed for criticism of government and public officials, and fears that oppositions movements were being organized via the site.Information regarding identities of the deceased is available before a consent is given to release such information.

13. PrivacyIts privacy policy states “Facebook also collects information about you from other sources, such as newspapers and instant messaging services. This information is gathered regardless of your use of the Web Site.”In addition, another theory exists that suggests that Facebook could be a data-gathering project as it sells user data to private companies. “We may share your information with third parties, including responsible companies with which we have a relationship.”One can never be sure that the people on Facebook profiles are truly who they represent themselves to be.Concerns about the difficulty of deleting user accounts have also surfaced. It is reported that even after accounts have been deactivated, the information entered by the user remained on the website’s servers. Facebook changed its policy regarding deleting accounts in February 2008. Users who want to “permanently” delete their accounts must contact the website to make a request.

14. Addictions“Facebook addiction” is very common among users. Many users constantly find themselves updating their pages, looking for people with common interests, and searching others’ profiles and pictures. This “creeping” poses a risk for never-ending searching to see who knows who, who likes what, who uploaded new pictures, etc. with no purpose in mind.The addiction to Facebook for some users can often lead to trouble in some cases as well. Some individuals do not know how to keep their public life from their private life. They will post inappropriate photos and comments that can lead to trouble.Copyright also comes into play when users post material by other people.

15. Facebook - What about libraries?Several library-related Facebook applications have been recently developed.JSTOR SearchLibGuides LibrarianFacebook LibrarianBooks iReadBookshareCOPAC SearchEuropean Library SearchWorld Cat Search

16. Using Facebook as a LibrarianWhen creating an account on Facebook as a librarian please consider the following:Read the security and privacy guidelines for your account.Be careful about adding too much personal information on your profile.Add applications that are library-related.Be selective about who you accept as a “friend.”Consider setting up a group page to experiment with the features of Facebook.Limit the amount of time you spend on Facebook so that it doesn’t become an addiction!

17. ReferencesCasey, M.E., & Savastinuk, L.C. (2006, September 1). Library 2.0: Service for the next generation library. Library Journal. Retrieved November 15, 2009 from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.htmlFacebook. (2008). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 15, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index/php?title=Facebook&oldid=249895191Facebook. (2008). Retrieved November 15, 2009, from http://topics.nytimes.com/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-orgFacebook and rapport. (2007). Retrieved November 15, 2009, from http://otherlibrarian.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/facebook-and-rapport/Godwin, P. & Parker, J. (2008). Information literacy meets library 2.0. London: Facet Publishing.Library 2.0. (2008). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_2.0Locke, L. (2007, July 17). The future of facebook. Time. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1644040,00.htmlWolman, D. (2008). The facebook revolution. Wired-San Francisco. 16 (11), 212-217. Yadav, S. (2006). Facebook – the complete biography. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from http://mashable.com/2006/08/25/facebook-profile/7 things you should know about facebook. (2006). Retrieved November 15, 2009, from http://new.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7017.pdf

18. Additional ResourcesYouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRhvnTHAqekhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imTeixEfBu8&feature=PlayList&p=2172A2D97EE64B99&index=7http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o&feature=PlayList&p=2172A2D97EE64B99&index=3Websites:http://www.facebook.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebookhttp://www.technewsworld.com/story/68509.html?wlc=1258861832http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1102199.1102214http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6705646.htmlhttp://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6705646.html