Facebook … what is it all about? |23 July 2010

Though it is believed there are almost 10,000 Facebook users in Seychelles, there are many others who do not know what Facebook is all about.

This was evident as the Kokonet sales office received several phone calls from clients seeking information and advice about Facebook.

What is Facebook then?

Facebook is a social networking website intended to connect friends, family and business associates. It is the largest of the networking sites, which began as a college networking website and has expanded to include anyone and everyone.

Facebook users create a profile page that shows their friends and networks information about themselves. The choice to include a profile in a network means that everyone within that network can view the profile.

The profile typically includes the following: information, status, friends, friends in other networks, photos, notes, groups, and the wall. Users are able to search for friends and acquaintances by email address, school, university, or just by typing in a name or location for search.

When people become friends, they are able to see all of each other’s profiles including contact information. Email notifications let users know when new friends have chosen to add them to their list, or when someone has sent a message to them within the system.

A popular feature on Facebook is the ability to share photographs uploaded from a phone, camera or hard drive. As with other private information, users have the option to allow only friends to see their pictures or anyone. There is an unlimited amount of storage available, which is a major advantage of Facebook’s photograph sharing capabilities.

Groups can be created by users. These can include anything from grade school connections to hobbies and interests. Groups can be public and available to everyone or private, meaning only those invited can join and view discussions.

Similarly, the events feature allows friends to organise parties, picnics and other get-togethers in the real world. Users can also become fans of everything such as people, organisations, television shows, movies and musicians.

There are countless applications available to add to a profile. They range from a list of top friends to movie compatibility with others, and maps of where users have travelled. These applications are created by individuals outside of Facebook’s employment who are known as developers.

Users of Facebook can share news stories, videos and other files with friends. Most news and video websites have buttons that can be clicked to share automatically the story or video on a feed. The person sharing can make comments about the shared item that their friends will see.

Personal notes can also be written and shared with friends. When sharing an item, users can attach the item to their wall for all to see, or can tag individual people they think would be most interested in seeing the item. When a user is tagged, they receive an e-mail notification.

Facebook had a redesign in late 2008, intended to streamline the website and make it easier to see what friends were doing. It has seen outstanding growth since its inception and is poised to maintain its dominance in social networking. By early 2009, Facebook users worldwide were nearly double those of its older competitor MySpace, and this month the website registered its 500 millionth member.

Kokonet on Facebook

While most Seychellois use Facebook for their personal use, local internet company Kokonet is using it as a tool to communicate with its clients. Kokonet has a Facebook page which updates its customers about new products and services, schedule maintenance and any other information that the ISP feels customers should know about.

Any Facebook user can become a member of the Kokonet page and receive the updates by going on it at www.kokonet.sc/facebook and then “Like” it.

Sponsored by Kokonet