Facebook is the most popular social network on the web today. Facebook’s user base consists of more than 500 million individuals. The site offers up everything social networking users want, including status updates, wall posts and private messages. Users can also send instant chat messages through Facebook. The site allows users to build a profile complete with information, photographs, links, videos and favorite items and interests. Users connect by adding others to their friends list. Friends can read each other’s wall posts and leave comments that are either publically or privately available (depending on what the profile owner chooses). Facebook also supports users groups, which allow users to come together based on a specific topic, cause, issue or interest. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004. It was first only used by students of his university, Harvard. After it became successful in a short amount of time the network expanded to other American universities and high schools. In September 2006 Facebook opened registration for everyone. The personal page has basic design and functions. Users can create a personal profile and post messages for their friends. In 2011, Facebook raised over $1,5 billion from Digital Sky Technologies, Goldman Sachs, T. Rowe Price and other investors. Facebook is one of the few websites that almost everyone on and off the web has heard of. The sheer size and popularity of the Facebook social network makes it an attractive option for some users. Facebook offers a number of tools that can be applied to casual and business situations, making the site a functional online tool for communications and marketing. Facebook uses a layout that many social networkers have become familiar with. The top of the page features the narrow dark blue banner with the white logo along the left hand side. The center of the user’s dashboard presents a list of recent friend status updates and comments in the order that they were made. To the left, the user can find a list of tools such as the messages link, events calendars, friend lists and groups. New users can join the enormous Facebook community by filling out the registration form presented along the right hand side of the homepage. The form asks for a first and last name, email address, password, gender and date of birth. After filling out the form, the user can click the green and white “Sign Up” button just below it. After successfully entering a Captcha code, the user is asked to add friends from other contact lists, including Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL and other email services. This step can be skipped if the user prefers to add contacts later. Facebook is available to all users for free. There are no subscription fees or other charges required to use the site. Users can log in as often as they like and chat as much as they want. There are no messaging limitations and users are never asked to make any purchases to keep their accounts active. Facebook is one of the best websites for anyone who loves social networking. Users can play games, follow companies and celebrities and stay in touch with friends and family through their profiles. The site is also a valuable resource for companies who are trying to reach out to new markets.

• Connect with people you know
• Upload photos and videos to your profile
• Plan group events with your Facebook network
• Facebook API available for developers to create new applications
• Integration with Music+
• Send private messages to other users
• Chat with users through Facebook’s built in instant messenger

http://www.facebook.com/