Facebook

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**Facebook [|www.facebook.com/] **

** History ** Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard University student created Facebook in 2004 after having created several other local social-networking websites for fellow students. The name was taken from a form given to Harvard freshmen that profiled students and staff. The site picked up 1,200 members in the first twenty-four hours. It spread from university to university and quickly became nation-wide. In 2006 it spread to include anyone with an e-mail address.

In February of 2009 Facebook became officially the largest social network in the world. [|http://blog.compete.com/2009/02/09/facebook-myspace-twitter-socia] [|l-network/] [|http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/jul/25/media.new] [|media]

** Using Facebook ** Facebook users set up a home page and then add friends to their network. They can send messages to individuals change their own status message and indicate preferences on topics from books and films to political parties. Users can also join networks by location, school alumni, workplace or by becoming a fan of another page. There are many customiz able options on the site but far less than the runner up social network site Myspace.



** Educational uses ** __Courses 2.0__ is a Facebook application that keeps track of your class schedule and makes it easy to share with your friends.



__Where I’ve been__ is an application that shows all the places a person has been on an interactive map.



Some teachers have created groups that include themselves and their students and meet thru Facebook weekly. __Coursefeed__ is an application that sends a Facebook message when changes are made by the instructor in Blackboard. These include assignments, announcements and content.

Many institutions are finding Facebook to be an easy way to send notifications. This quick method is valuable in emergency situations. Universities are finding that students check Facebook and ignore school e-mail. []
 * In the News **

· November 12, 2009 - A Brooklyn teen is released from prison today when a Facebook message he sent to his girlfriend suggested he had not been involved with a robbery. Facebook posts are stamped with time and date. Although it is not inconceivable that he used a wireless device or asked a friend to post for him it created enough reasonable doubt for him to be released by prosecutors. [] · November 12, 2009 - Home game consoles like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are preparing to have Facebook, Twitter and some other social networking sites available through their online browsers. Playstation had formerly had that option, but a new customized version just for Sony Playstation users is in development and expected to be released in the next few weeks. []