Why Facebook..??

If you are not already on Facebook, you might want to get with the program while it�s free and before it becomes too complex for nonusers to try and understand. Over 34 million people are members of Facebook and speak a foreign language to nonmembers who are simply trying to keep up with the name of the social internet website. I�ve heard, �What is it, myface, spacebook, facebook?�

Facebook is constantly evolving and as a member myself, I don�t know all the perks because it�s updated frequently and new applications are added daily. Facebook has become something like an addiction for many users and when compared to its launch in 2004 as a tool to connect Harvard University students with each other, Facebook is a networking community gone wild and here�s why.

The Facebook Platform

There are over 3,500 applications on Facebook that allow members to personalize their pages and interact with friends. Top Friends is very popular, allowing users to display favorite friends on their page. And the Moods application is fun too, because it allows users to update how they�re feeling using visuals.

But if all you want to do is display your mood, pictures and friends� profiles then you might want to stick to Myspace.

The Facebook Platform, available since May 24 of this year opened a huge door to a gigantic space for facebook members and developers. Facebook Platform gives a template for developing applications that use Facebook features. This means companies can expand their relationship with consumers to the walls of Facebook, but only if they can come up with applications that get the attention of target users.

Marketers have a new option, but it won�t be that easy to stand out in the midst of thousands of other applications that users can choose from. This is where the chaos goes into overdrive because the life span of a Facebook application on a member�s page varies while users are constantly updating and upgrading their pages by downloading and deleting applications as their moods change.

The Facebook Platform makes way for who knows how many more applications that will continue to advance as companies are able to modify the website with new technology. I�m sure there are a few users out there who ignore notices of new applications and stick to traditional �facebooking,� but I�d bet they�ll get suckered into at least one of the thousands that poke them the right way.

RSS-Really Simple Syndication

Facebook is now using RSS with more than its news and mini-feeds that keep users up to speed with activity on their networks. The website allows companies to use RSS to determine target Facebook users and to send their messages through creative applications and advertising.

Members can add applications like RSSBook to their profile, which gives a directory of news and information feeds that users can subscribe to. And this is only the beginning of the Facebook community and RSS.

SMS-Short Messaging Service

SMS allows Facebook members to send and receive cellular text messages from their page, and companies like Intomobile are taking advantage of this technology while users now have the option of being available to facebook friends even when not logged on to the website.

SMS along with RSS feeds and the Facebook Platform are stretching the capabilities of Facebook and there is plenty of space to roam. The bottom line is facebook continues to get trickier and more complex each day. It�s a networking playground and I plan to keep up with its advancements, as well as those of other social networking websites because I�m curious to know what millions of people are getting themselves into.

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