July 22, 2007 Facebook

Facebook is the fastest growing online social community. On July 10th, 2007 Facebook reported 30 million active users. Originally created in 2004 by students at Harvard, Facebook then expanded to Stanford, Columbia and Yale. Other colleges were quickly added. In 2005 Facebook added highschool networks. In May 2006 work networks were added, and in September 2006 Facebook was opened up for anyone to join (Facebook timeline). Now, more than half of Facebook users are outside of college.

The name of the site refers to the paper facebooks depicting members of the campus community that colleges and preparatory schools give to incoming students, faculty, and staff (Wikipedia).

Anyone with an email address can go to Facebook.com and create a free account. Then you can create and join groups, join in discussions, send messages and chat with people who have similar interests. You can post photos and videos, make friends, and promote real world events. It’s a great forum for connecting with old friends now living around the world, and to make new friends with common interests.

Critics of Facebook cite incidents of bullying, stalking and identity theft, but by following some common sense guidelines, as you would in a “real life” community, you can be confident of your safety. Facebook allows users to set the level of security on their account. You can choose to share some or all of your personal information with everyone, those in your network, your friends, or with no one. Also, there is a process in place for users to report inappropriate behaviour. Like any community, Facebook is vulnerable to those who choose to abuse the privilege of belonging. Privacy has always been a top priority with Facebook, resulting in the hiring of a chief privacy officer in September 2005 (Facebook Fact Sheet).

Facebook is adding new applications all the time. In addition to typing a message to someone, you can spray paint on a graffiti wall, for example. You can start a virtual food fight, get your daily horoscope, send “gifts”, poke, tickle or hug your friends. There is a “marketplace” where users can post free classified ads within the following categories: For Sale, Housing, Jobs, and Other. Ads can be posted in either available or wanted format (Wikipedia). It’s fun, engaging and yes, can be addictive! Overwhelmingly though, Facebook is about connecting with people.

There are over 20,000 people on Facebook in the Thunder Bay network. That’s almost 20% of our population! In addition to being an easy way to stay in touch with friends and family, Facebook is also a great way to share information. Your Library is all about connecting people with information. Our vision, “A citizen enlightened, a community engaged, a City enriched” is being fulfilled in part by our ventures online, in Facebook, and other social networking sites.

Just like we’re a part of the community in real life, your Library is a part of the Facebook community. The Thunder Bay Public Library Facebook group keeps you informed about Library services and events. You can ask questions and leave comments. You can discuss the latest book you read or movie you watched. We also have a group for the Youth Advisory Council (YAC). The Library’s Facebook groups are part of the Library’s presence in the online community. Check out our groups, and consider joining, the next time you’re on Facebook.

Joanna Aegard, Head of Virtual Library Services