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Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You're only a stranger once.

September 9, 2009

What Is Facebook?

ME Liz Strauss published this at 8:41 am

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The LANGUAGE of SOCIAL MEDIA

Words have a deep effect on
how we interpret and interact with the world.
The words we use and how we define them
reveal our interests, concerns, and values.
This series explores the words of social media.


facebook


Facebook — Has the Small Town Grown Up?

Facebook … is it part college yearbook and part small town? What’s been called the walled garden of Facebook is now a new place since they’ve invited mom and dad to move in. It’s even more changed since they added the dynamic stream of FriendFeed.

Wikipedia says:

Facebook is a social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc.[1] Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region. The website’s name stems from the colloquial name of a book given to incoming students at Zuckerberg’s high school alma mater, Phillips Exeter Academy. The book shows the faces and names of the school’s students and faculty.

Still at the core of Facebook seems to be two highly different community ethics going on. A huge population of Facebookers never had a choice about being there — soon as college started they became part when friends uploaded their pictures and invited them to see which ones. The other population joined later. We’re newcommers to Ellis Island. Some of us are setting up business, trying to make a buck. Some of us are trying to find our past loved ones who’ve emigrated there. Some are trying to connect, fit it, make sense of it all.

The first population and the second population will never quite view Facebook the same. It’s kind of like anywhere … it’s different if you grew up there.

Here’s how some folks answered the question, “If twitter is a huge networking room, what is Facebook?”

@OwenGreaves: “If twitter is a huge networking room, what is Facebook? – A Chinese Bath :) ”
@jeffw171: “outdated and arcane”
@AmberCadabra: “The same. With a different crowd. And stupid quizzes on the cocktail tables.”
@gurnage: “Facebook is an online reunion. Twitter is new friends, Facebook is old.
@abbebuck: “Liz, FaceBook is a soda fountain with pictures!”
@MargieNewman “high school”
@markramsey: “a network of interconnected microcommunities?”
@netcitizen : “its more about the people,faces,friends.”
@djwaldow: “It’s a huge networking house!”
@judel “I see twitter as a utility to meet people and have conversation before actually meeting in person, and for business leads & rel.”
@jennydecki “Facebook is a huge Frat Party – you can still make great connections but mostly it’s about funny farm animal stories.”
@AlliWorthington “chit chatting with everyone you already know?”
@cheapsuits ” it’s a cafe a bunch of friends show up at.”
@my3boybarians “a huge, creepy networking room?”
@JasonFalls “Lunchroom at most high schools … but now with old people eating there.”
@piero_ “your lounge?”
@ssmirnov “FB is a painfully awkward highschool reunion.”

@cassieaiden “facebook is a very informal resume….I think.”
@blancastella “more to click/type/apply yourself to, perhaps?”
@Cosecha “a huge, creepy networking room?”
@berrybrewer “Twitter is a conference where I pass out business cards; Facebook is a class/family reunion where I show pics of my kid.”
@Gestalt “Facebook is a walled garden. Today’s version of AOL.”

@hehotiron “Chuck E Cheese?!?”
@berrybrewer “Twitter is a conference where I pass out business cards; Facebook is a class/family reunion where I show pics of my kid.”
@Gestalt “Facebook is a walled garden. Today’s version of AOL.”

What is Facebook?

For more information see:
Wiktionary
Wikidpedia
Campus Firewatch
techterms.com

SEE ALSO:
What Is Social Media?
What Is Social Networking?
What IS a Social Community?
What Is Online Social Media Conversation?
What Is a Blog?
What Is Twitter?

If twitter is a huge networking room, what is Facebook?
Got more to add? C’mon let’s talk.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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Filed under Community, Marketing, Successful Blog | 14 Comments »


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14 Comments to “What Is Facebook?”

  1. September 9th, 2009 at 9:26 am
    allan isfan said

    Liz,

    Asking the question on twitter is going to give you a radically warped perspective and misses a huge segment of the population which is super active on Facebook.

    Ask a teenager and they may say something like “WTF is Twitter & facebook is my life”. As the dad of a 13 yr old girl, I can tell you, with exception of MSN, everything happens on Facebook. Hey, a boy even asked her to go out the day before school started. She couldn’t sleep! For the record, she’s not allowed to date yet :)

    So I propose the following. Ask your tweeps with teenagers to get their kids’ reaction to your question. I’m happy to play along.

    Cheers,

    Your friend, @isfan

  2. September 9th, 2009 at 10:43 am
    Clarky said

    I have a facebook account, but I have never really used it. I only see it as a tool, not like I loving blogging. Facebook seems very hot the USA, I don’t know why Americans like it so much.

  3. September 9th, 2009 at 10:47 am
    KatFrench said

    I lean towards the folks who say it’s a way to maintain connections to people I already know.

    There’s also a lot of truth to the “worlds longest running online class reunion” bit–so YMMV wildly based on who you were in school, who you are now, and your relationship to those memories.

  4. September 9th, 2009 at 11:30 am
    Lin said

    For me, Facebook is a place to stay connected with close friends and family who don’t live near me and can’t visit often in person. One family member lives in Barcelona Spain, so being able to see uploaded photos and keep up with what’s going on in with him and wife regularly and ‘instantly’ makes it seem like he’s nearby.

    Facebook is whatever users make of it.

    Making connections with other writers, “sharing” works by others, discussing topics of interest etc, without the character restrictions on Twitter.

  5. September 9th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
    Todd Smith said

    I agree with @berrybrewer “Twitter is a conference where I pass out business cards; Facebook is a class/family reunion where I show pics of my kid.”

    I only allow people to be my Facebook friend if they are may friend in real life. For me it’s personal, not business.

  6. September 9th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
    Zena Weist said

    If Twitter is a huge networking room, then Facebook is my catch up corner…Instead of spouting off my email address to friends, family, parents of my kids, colleagues, etc. I say “Let’s connect of Facebook” and then I don’t have to keep up with all their email address changes or read individual emails – isn’t your inbox overflowing??? On Facebook, I can catch up on their lives at anytime – it’s really all about me and how I manage my relationships on my terms.

  7. September 10th, 2009 at 6:43 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Allan,
    I had that thought going in. But of the other questions in the series were built on polling Twitter only, so I was left that dilemma of changing the group or realzing the group had a bias on this question. I think what you’d propose would be fun! Not sure how to make it happen.

    Liz

  8. September 10th, 2009 at 6:45 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Clarky,
    I think like so many social networks, people like it because their friends are already there. In the case of Facebbok, it was started at US colleges and US developers have gone crazy connected folks with apps and such. With broadband so easily available we’ve got room to play around there.

  9. September 10th, 2009 at 6:47 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Kat!
    I’ve looked for people I knew before I came online. Haven’t found any. Small towns and a small college don’t seem to make it easy to find those who are probably on Facebook where I’ve not looked yet. :)

    I also have plenty to do with the friends I have now and see the old friends I want to see. heh

  10. September 10th, 2009 at 6:49 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Todd,
    I should adopt your Facebook rule, then I’d not get so many invitations and notifications … from people that don’t care if I respond. heh

  11. September 10th, 2009 at 6:50 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Zena,
    I think I don’t have that many friends. :)

  12. September 10th, 2009 at 7:58 am
    AJ in Nashville said

    If Twitter is that huge networking room then IMO, Facebook is a big hotel hospitality suite, Liz. I can still with meet a lot of friends, but there are places to sit and talk, share photos and even play a silly game or two. :)

    Great question! And just to let you know, I’m devoting my blog for the next little while to addressing your ‘continuing the conversation’ questions. Please check it out!

  13. September 10th, 2009 at 11:44 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    AJ –
    What an awesome tribute you’ve made to the conversation on this blog. I was trying to find you to surprise you with a phone call but I’ve not found your number. Then my own phone rang. It’s taken me this long to get back to my own blog. Ack!!

  14. September 10th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
    AJ in Nashville said

    Liz…

    Thanks! My phone number is available on my FB page, but I haven’t been able to activate you yet, as both FB and Twitter are browser blocked here at work. (I’m working on ‘em regarding that…) And my old phone isn’t very web-friendly either.

    I do have limited access to Twitter via the Twitterfox app on Firefox, however, so I’ll PM it to you shortly. I’d LOVE to talk to you!

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