Newsweek on Facebook
With Facebook being declared as the new darling of Silicon Valley, the blosophere's been buzzing around what seems to be in store for the website's immediate future, including rumors of an IPO, impending lawsuits, and the implications of opening its platform.
Newsweek dedicates its cover story this week to the challenges Facebook has dealt with, in its evolution from a small college-focused social networking site into an Internet phenomenon, as well as the problems it faces as it continues to grow as it establishes itself.
In the article, Berkman Fellow and researcher at UC Berkley's iSchool danah boyd posits reasons for the website's success, and explains "[Mark] Zuckerberg made it interactive. It had a slight social stalking element, too. It was addictive, it was juicy—a great way to see what was going on."
Recognizing this element, Facebook has wrangled with users' privacy. Berkman Alum and Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly says "Facebook is about replicating the social restrictions of the offline world."
And Fred Stutzman, a University of North Carolina grad and recent Summer Doctoral Programme Student, draws from his studies on social networks when he declares in the article that Facebook "is becoming a different place as it attempts to mass-market itself." Facebook claims that "by the end of this year less than 30 percent of Facebook users will sport college IDs."
The full article is worth the read, and can be found here. As well, if you're checking Facebook out, friend us!
Newsweek dedicates its cover story this week to the challenges Facebook has dealt with, in its evolution from a small college-focused social networking site into an Internet phenomenon, as well as the problems it faces as it continues to grow as it establishes itself.
In the article, Berkman Fellow and researcher at UC Berkley's iSchool danah boyd posits reasons for the website's success, and explains "[Mark] Zuckerberg made it interactive. It had a slight social stalking element, too. It was addictive, it was juicy—a great way to see what was going on."
Recognizing this element, Facebook has wrangled with users' privacy. Berkman Alum and Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly says "Facebook is about replicating the social restrictions of the offline world."
And Fred Stutzman, a University of North Carolina grad and recent Summer Doctoral Programme Student, draws from his studies on social networks when he declares in the article that Facebook "is becoming a different place as it attempts to mass-market itself." Facebook claims that "by the end of this year less than 30 percent of Facebook users will sport college IDs."
The full article is worth the read, and can be found here. As well, if you're checking Facebook out, friend us!