What is Facebook?

Facebook Page Interface

 Dude, I need your Facebook?

Face.... what? What the heck is that?!?

Don't you know what Facebook is? You have never heard about it yourself, don't worry, you're not the only one. Many are those who still don't know about this big online social tool that millions of people use to connect with each other. Facebook is the top social network site. No other social website has revolunized oneline social networking like Facebook has.

Wait a minute! What is a social network? what do you mean by "Social Networking"?

Well... Social networking existed long before the birth of the Internet! Social networking is simply the practice of expanding the number of one's social contacts. With the advent of the Internet, the term is used to refer to all the online means to link individuals together from the comfort of you home or work, actually from anywhere. It covers web applications known as "online social networking services". These applications have multiple objectives. They are used to build a network of friends, associates, and more generally groups of people with similar interests.

An online social network is a website where members register, build a personal profile and get into contact with their real and/or virtual friends. They have a "user profile" where they can share certain information with other users for different purposes.

Why do we speak about Facebook? Is it really that important? What's the point?

Oh yeah! It's very important. It's actually VERY VERY IMPORTANT because Facebook is the most dominant social network. Actually, there many social networks out there, but Facebook is number one for the time being. You can check our "Major Social Networking Websites" directory to know about the other ones, if interested.

You'd better retain it from now on and I recommend considering having an account. Almost everybody has a personal account, even kids do. Having an account seems a good idea if you feel like keeping in touch with and knowing updates of people you care about or to promote your business. Who knows! Maybe some members of your family or colleagues of yours are hanging there.

Your big brother, your sister or your parents may be using Facebook. It is used to talk you’re your friends and make new ones.

Facebook is also used to distribute information. It has become a huge rapid vehicle for transmitting information. Indeed, during the recent revolutions in the Arab countries, young protesters have used this social network to tell what was happening.

Facebook is also used by artists to promote themselves, or by politicians to be closer to the people and share ideas. Influancial political figures like Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy are also present on Facebook.

On Facebook, people who are willing to share their profile are called "friends." But all these people are not real "friends" as your “real” friends are in real life; many are rather virtual "contacts" that can be turned into real if you wish especially for dating. So be very careful with the information that you share.

In addition, be careful not to spend too much time. Nowadays, it’s important to have an account there but Facebook should ris a supplement not a substitute that sucks out your real social life.

Facebook is now the most visited website in the world. Do you know that more than one billion people worldwide have a Facebook account? That's huge. So I'm pretty sure that some of your connections uses Facebook serices.

And if you're a regular Internet user, there are high chances you have heard about Facebook or seen its logo -an f embedded in a dark blue box-, or one of its LIKE buttons - a thumb up- somewhere in website. Just look up under the title of this post. Do you see a thumb up? Good! That's Facebook Like button, and just on the right is the logo. Don't forget to like this when you register ;). If you already have an account, good for you.

So how did Facebook start?

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook

Facebook started at Harvard University under the name “The Facebook” and was launched on February 4, 2004.

One evening in 2004, in his dorm room, Mark Zuckerberg, a bit shy 19-years-old computer genius, created a sort of giant facebook for the students Harvard University. Of course at the beginning, the membership of Facebook was restricted to students of Harvard. Later and just within two months, the project was expanded to other universities. In 2006, the site was so successful that it becomes open to all across the U.S.

9 years after its launching, this community site unites more than 1 billion members across the globe, an equivalent of the entire population of Europe. It is available in 76 languages.