Facebook: why it doesn't suck

An open letter to my non-Facebook friends,

Facebook was started in 2004 by a Harvard student. Since then it has spread from campus to campus and now the world. The name refers to the paper books campuses give to freshman to help them get to know one and another. The basic concept is to have an private, online profile that can be shared with friends. The profile or "wall" can contain a variety of contact information, photos, and status updates.

My Facebook experiment started six months ago. Logging into my account after reading an article in Wired, I was shocked to see how active my two friends were. Engaging discussions between friends were headlining the home page followed by recent photos from my sister. Being a bit of a online nerd, I felt like the last to the party.

Technically, my account was created December 2006 where it sat untouched for two years listing only my name and location. The last thing I wanted was another inbox to check. To my surprise, it has been a fun distraction during downtime but easily forgettable when busy. At this point, I check in every couple of days to see what people are up to, new photos, and play the occasional online game. My wall (aka profile) is alive with messages, web links, and photos. The thing that sets Facebook aside from email is that most of the stuff posted does not require a response. Facebook is more like the Christmas newsletter from the relatives. Interesting to read but not a big deal if you don't get to it until January. In more ways than one, Facebook is taking the place of email as a one stop shopping to easily share photos, web links, and general info. For example, you might want to set a status message about the free Bill Shatner book signing you are heading to tonight. It's not worth a broadcast email but pointy eared Trekker friends might be interested. Busy friends that don't have time for Shat will not be bothered.

In the interest of science, create yourself an account with a fake name (or just part of your name) and friend me. See what it is all about. If you don't like it you can always trash the account. Coming soon, Facebook: tips and tricks.