The Operation of Facebook.com As a Way to Create Social Networks
When most people hear the term social network, they automatically think of online social networks. That's because online social networks, also known as social-networking sites, have exploded recently in popularity. Sites like Facebook, Myspace and LinkedIn account are ranked as the most visited Web sites in the world. For many users, online social networks are not only a way to keep in touch, but a way of life. Several features of online social networks are common to each of the more than 300 social networking sites currently in existence. The most basic feature is the ability to create and share a personal profile. This profile page typically includes a photo, some basic personal information and extra space for listing your favourite bands, books, TV shows, movies, hobbies and Web sites.
Most social networks on the Internet also let you post photos, music, videos and personal blogs on your profile page. In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes, three Harvard University students, launched a Web site designed to put students in touch with one another, share their photos and meet new people. They called it thefacebook.com, and before long the site became extremely popular on the Harvard campus. A month after the site launched, the creators expanded it to include students from Stanford, Columbia and Yale. By 2005, students in 800 college networks across the United States could join the network, and its membership grew to more than 5 million active users. In August of that year, the site's name changed to Facebook.
Facebook was originally intended for college students, but today anyone can join the network. Although the site's scope has expanded to include more than just students, its purpose remains the same, to give people a way to share information in an easy and entertaining way. Like MySpace, Facebook is a social networking site.
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