Why facebooking?

Ohh my, everybody's like..Owhh, lets migrate to facebook! Recently I've found out that a lot of my course mates in my University were migrated to facebook.. It's kinda huhh, okay..this will be the second network forum other than friendster..

Facebook is doing some amazing things - and it’s not just because it is a smart social network. Innovation is constant and is heavily influenced by Facebook members. As time goes by, Facebook is solidifying its grip on a very loyal userbase and attracting new members because…it’s just better.

So, without further adieu, here are reasons why Facebook is rocking:

1. Privacy

Facebook’s success starts with it being a clean, secure, and stable environment. Basically, it is the opposite of MySpace and friendster, and it will display secure item inside the url box which show how secure it is.

Facebook puts the user in control, allowing them to limit specific pieces of information they want to share within their various networks. In fact, there are so many privacy controls that it is a bit overwhelming at first.

2. News and Mini-Feeds

You might have heard about the backlash to Facebook’s News and Mini-Feeds when they first arrived. Essentially, these feeds show updates from a user’s networks on his/her homepage: ”Mike and Bill are now friends”, “Michelle posted a link.”, “April tagged Jen in a photo”, etc.

I would argue that feeds are now the defining feature of Facebook. It is what keeps users logging in, expanding their networks (e.g., Mike sees that Bill became friends with Andy and knows Andy too, so then he connects with him), and more generally being active on Facebook. Feeds keep Facebook fresh; their absence on MySpace makes it stale and boring.

3. Status Updates

If you are a fan of Twitter (or know anything about it), then Facebook Status Updates are right up your alley - except they are smarter.

While I like the idea of Twitter, sharing “what you are doing” with everyone in the world doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. But what if you could share your status with a subset of trusted friends? Status Updates are Twitter 3.0 (yes, two versions ahead of it).

4. Mobile

Of course, Status Updates couldn’t be compared to Twitter unless mobile updates were available. And they are. But in addition to updating your status, you can post links to your profile and get info about your friends - all via text message commands.

5. Near Unlimited Photo Storage / Advanced Photo Editing

While MySpace is out buying Photobucket, Facebook allows near unlimited photo storage on its site. Each album is limited to 60 pictures but there is nothing indicating the maximum number of albums a user can have.

Facebook also allows people to “tag” photos. See your friend Sally in a photo? Tag that portion of the photo and it will get associated with her. You can even view all photos tagged with “Sally” (users can remove the tags if they don’t want them on the photos).

6. Facebook Marketplace

Yes, it is true that MySpace has this sort of functionality (i.e., a classified section). But in Facebook, you leverage privacy and perhaps more importantly, benefit from targeted listings. Items are posted into networks, so it makes them easier to find and more relevant. Classifieds do not work as well unless they are geographically based.

p/s: so people, lets facebooking!!