Post - the fourth

Yes we all have it. We all use it. The latest craze to ultimately hit the web is Facebook.

It wasn't long ago that we were all busy communicating away with our MSN messenger and updating our my-space, but now it seems that the Facebook phenomena has replaced these two to become the biggest social network and means of communication.

Why is it so good?

• It is very easy to use
• you can share information and photos with other people
• You can upload pictures as well as text
• It is easy to create discussion boards and get opinions without having to send separate emails
• It is a very easy and effective way of contacting people from all over the world without them having to be online at the same time
• It is constantly updated and with wi-fi it can be accessed almost anywhere
• By setting up groups you can communicate with people with similar interests to you and also be updated with anything that may be relevant to your particular interest
• My drama group for example uses it to contact people in the group for rehearsal times and also productions going on that they may be interested in
• It is a fantastic tool to keep people updated with your news and keep updated with other people's news. In this way you are able to keep in contact than you would to if you had to email or call them individually

What might be some problems?

• It is consequently not very private, although providing you are careful not to put too detailed info on it, it isn't a problem. You can however control who can see your complete profile
• There have been incidents of identity theft from details people have posted
• It can be a means for bullying and nasty groups and the overseers are not very good or quick at removing these groups. This can be especially hurtful for children
• It is open access for anyone who wants to see it so don't get caught saying something nasty about someone!
• Their have been cases of people being refused jobs because of their Facebook profile
• police and administrators are cracking down on students who post pictures of themselves partaking in underage drinking and other illegal activities (this is not necessarily a bad thing, but an example of how easy it is to glean information from people's profiles)
• One blogger argues that Facebook has caused some students to lose touch with reality stating that 'My friend jokingly asked her boyfriend to ‘marry’ her on the relationship status option on Facebook. In response, her boyfriend rejected her offer and changed their “in a relationship” status to single. That is how Facebook ended their relationship.'

In conclusion I would argue that Facebook, if used correctly is a fantastic networking tool. If it is used irresponsibly it can become a tool of personal attack and in some cases identity crime. People after all have control over their profiles so as long as they're careful about what information is posted and as long as things aren't too seriously, Facebook should be a useful tool that can be enjoyed by many people.