Facebook is an online social networking service, whose name stems from the colloquial name for the book

given to students at the start of the academic year by some university administrations in the United States to help students get to know each other.[7 !t was founded in February "##$ by %ark &uckerberg with his college roommates and fellow 'arvard University students (duardo Saverin, )ndrew %c*ollum, +ustin %oskovit, and *hris 'ughes.[- .he website/s membership was initially limited by the founders to 'arvard students, but was e0panded to other colleges in the 1oston area, the !vy 2eague, and Stanford University. !t gradually added support for students at various other universities before opening to high school students, and eventually to anyone aged 34 and over. Facebook now allows any users who declare themselves to be at least 34 years old to become registered users of the site.[5 Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, e0change messages, and receive automatic notifications when they update their profile. )dditionally, users may 6oin common7interest user groups, organi,ed by workplace, school or college, or other characteristics, and categori,e their friends into lists such as 89eople From :ork8 or 8*lose Friends8. )s of September "#3", Facebook has over one billion active users,[3# of which -.7; are fake.[33 )ccording to a %ay "#33 *onsumer <eports survey, there are 7.= million children under 34 with accounts and = million under 3#, violating the site/s terms of service.[3" Facebook >as of "#3"? has about 3-# petabytes of data a year and grows by over half a petabyte every "$ hours. [34 !n %ay "##=, )ccel partners invested @3".7 million in Facebook, and Aim 1reyer[3$ added @3 million of his own money to the pot. ) Aanuary "##5 *ompete.com study ranked Facebook as the most used social networking service by worldwide monthly active users.[3= (ntertainment :eekly included the site on its end7of7the7decade 8best7of8 list, saying, 8'ow on earth did we stalk our e0es, remember our co7workers/ birthdays, bug our friends, and play a rousing game of Scrabulous before FacebookB8[3C Facebook eventually filed for an initial public offering on February 3, "#3", and was headquartered in %enlo 9ark, *alifornia.[" Facebook !nc. began selling stock to the public and trading on the D)S+)E on %ay 3-, "#3".[37 1ased on its "#3" income of US+ =.3 1illion, Facebook 6oined the Fortune =## list for the first time, being placed at position of $C" on the list published in %ay "#34. [3*ontents [hide 3 'istory 3.3 9re7!9F

3." !nitial public offering 3.4 )fter !9F " *orporate affairs ".3 %anagement "." <evenue ".4 %ergers and acquisitions ".$ Fffices ".= Fpen source contributions 4 :ebsite 4.3 User profile 4." *omparison with %yspace 4.4 Dews Feed 4.$ Facebook Dotes 4.= %essaging 4.C Goice calls 4.7 Gideo calling 4.- Following 4.5 9rivacy 4.5.3 F.* settlement 4.3# .echnical aspects 4.33 2ike button 4.33.3 2awsuit $ <eception = *riticisms and controversies C !mpact C.3 %edia impact

C." Social impact C.4 Facebook envy C.$ 9olitical impact 7 !n popular culture - See also 5 Dotes 3# <eferences 33 Further reading 3" (0ternal links 'istory

%ain articlesH 'istory of Facebook and .imeline of Facebook 9re7!9F %ark &uckerberg wrote Facemash, the predecessor to Facebook, on Fctober "-, "##4, while attending 'arvard as a sophomore. )ccording to .he 'arvard *rimson, the site was comparable to 'ot or Dot, and 8used photos compiled from the online facebooks of nine houses, placing two ne0t to each other at a time and asking users to choose the /hotter/ person8[35 ["# .o accomplish this, &uckerberg hacked into the protected areas of 'arvard/s computer network and copied the houses/ private dormitory !+ images. 'arvard at that time did not have a student 8Facebook8 >a directory with photos and basic information?, though individual houses had been issuing their own paper facebooks since the mid735-#s. Facemash attracted $=# visitors and "",### photo7views in its first four hours online.[35 ["3 .he site was quickly forwarded to several campus group list7servers, but was shut down a few days later by the 'arvard administration. &uckerberg faced e0pulsion and was charged by the administration with breach of security, violating copyrights, and violating individual privacy. Ultimately, the charges were dropped.["" &uckerberg e0panded on this initial pro6ect that semester by creating a social study tool ahead of an art history final, by uploading =## )ugustan images to a website, with one image per page along with a comment section.["3 'e opened the site up to his classmates, and people started sharing their notes.

.he following semester, &uckerberg began writing code for a new website in Aanuary "##$. 'e was inspired, he said, by an editorial in .he 'arvard *rimson about the Facemash incident.["4 Fn February $, "##$, &uckerberg launched 8.hefacebook8, originally located at thefacebook.com.["$ Si0 days after the site launched, three 'arvard seniors, *ameron :inklevoss, .yler :inklevoss, and +ivya Darendra, accused &uckerberg of intentionally misleading them into believing he would help them build a social network called 'arvard*onnection.com, while he was instead using their ideas to build a competing product.["= .he three complained to the 'arvard *rimson, and the newspaper began an investigation. .he three later filed a lawsuit against &uckerberg, subsequently settling.["C .he agreed settlement was for 3."m shares which were worth @4##m at Facebook/s !9F.["7 %embership was initially restricted to students of 'arvard *ollege, and within the first month, more than half the undergraduate population at 'arvard was registered on the service.["- (duardo Saverin >business aspects?, +ustin %oskovit, >programmer?, )ndrew %c*ollum >graphic artist?, and *hris 'ughes soon 6oined &uckerberg to help promote the website. !n %arch "##$, Facebook e0panded to Stanford, *olumbia, and Iale.["5 !t soon opened to the other !vy 2eague schools, 1oston University, Dew Iork University, %!., and gradually most universities in *anada and the United States.[4# [43 !n mid7"##$, entrepreneur Sean 9arker, who had been informally advising &uckerberg, became the company/s president.[4" !n Aune "##$, Facebook moved its base of operations to 9alo )lto, *alifornia.["5 !t received its first investment later that month from 9ay9al co7founder 9eter .hiel.[44 .he company dropped .he from its name after purchasing the domain name facebook.com in "##= for @"##,###.[4$ Facebook launched a high7school version in September "##=, which &uckerberg called the ne0t logical step.[4= )t that time, high7school networks required an invitation to 6oin.[4C Facebook later e0panded membership eligibility to employees of several companies, including )pple !nc. and %icrosoft.[47 Facebook was then opened on September "C, "##C, to everyone of age 34 and older with a valid email address.[4- [45 2ate in "##7, Facebook had 3##,### business pages, allowing companies to attract potential customers and tell about themselves. .hese started as group pages, but a new concept called company pages was planned.[$# Fn Fctober "$, "##7, %icrosoft announced that it had purchased a 3.C; share of Facebook for @"$# million, giving Facebook a total implied value of around @3= billion.[$3 %icrosoft/s purchase included rights to place international ads on Facebook.[$" !n Fctober "##-, Facebook announced that it would set up its international headquarters in +ublin, !reland.[$4 !n

September "##5, Facebook said that it had turned cash7flow positive for the first time.[$$ !n Dovember "#3#, based on Second%arket !nc., an e0change for shares of privately held companies, Facebook/s value was @$3 billion >slightly surpassing e1ay/s? and it became the third largest U.S. :eb company after Joogle and )ma,on.[$= .raffic to Facebook increased steadily after "##5. %ore people visited Facebook than Joogle for the week ending %arch 34, "#3#.[$C !n %arch "#33, it was reported that Facebook removes appro0imately "#,### profiles from the site every day for various infractions, including spam, inappropriate content and underage use, as part of its efforts to boost cyber security.[$7 !n early "#33, Facebook announced plans to move to its new headquarters, the former Sun %icrosystems campus in %enlo 9ark, *alifornia.[$- [$5 <elease of statistics by +ouble*lick showed that Facebook reached one trillion page views in the month of Aune "#33, making it the most visited website of those tracked by +ouble*lick.[=# )ccording to the Dielsen %edia <esearch study, released in +ecember "#33, Facebook is the second most accessed website in the US >behind Joogle?.[=3 !n %arch "#3", Facebook announced )pp *enter, an online mobile store which sells applications that connect to Facebook. .he store will be available to i9hone, )ndroid and mobile web users.[=" Facebook, !nc. held an initial public offering on %ay 37, "#3", negotiating a share price of @4- apiece, valuing the company at @3#$ billion, the largest valuation to date for a newly listed public company.[=4 !nitial public offering %ain articleH Facebook !9F Facebook filed their S3 document with the Securities and (0change *ommission >S(*? on February 3, "#3". .he company filed for a US@= billion initial public offering >!9F?, making it one of the biggest in tech history and the biggest in !nternet history.[=$ Facebook valued its stock at @4- a share, pricing the company at @3#$ billion, the largest valuation to date for a newly public company.[== .he !9F raised @3C billion, making it the third largest in U.S. history.[=C [=7 .he shares began to be traded on %ay 3-, and though the stock struggled to stay above the !9F price for most of the day, it set a new record for trading volume of an !9F, $C# million shares.[=- .he first day of trading was marred by numerous technical glitches that prevented orders from going through.[=5 Fnly the aforementioned technical glitches and

artificial support from underwriters prevented the stock price from falling below the !9F price on the first day of trading.[C# 2ater, it was revealed that Facebook/s lead underwriters, %organ Stanley >%S?, A9 %organ >A9%?, and Joldman Sachs >JS? all cut their earnings forecasts for the company in the middle of the !9F roadshow.[C3 .he stock continued its freefall in subsequent days, closing at 4$.#4 on %ay "3 and 43.## on %ay "". ) /circuit breaker/ was used in an attempt to slow down the decline in the stock price.[C" Securities and (0change *ommission *hairman %ary Schapiro and Financial !ndustry <egulatory )uthority >F!D<)? *hairman <ick Ketchum called for a review of the circumstances surrounding its troubled initial public offering.[C4 Facebooks/ !9F is now under investigation and has been compared to pump and dump schemes.[=5 [C3 [C4 [C$ !n the meantime, a class7action lawsuit is in the works due to the trading glitches, which led to botched orders.[C= [CC )pparently, the glitches prevented a number of investors from selling the stock during the first day of trading while the stock price was falling 7 forcing them to incur bigger losses when their trades finally went through. )dditional lawsuits have been filed due to allegations that an underwriter for %organ Stanley selectively revealed ad6usted earnings estimates to preferred clients.[C7 .he remaining underwriters >%S, A9%, JS? and Facebook/s *(F and board are also facing litigation.[C- !t is believed that ad6ustments to earnings estimates were communicated to the underwriters by a Facebook financial officer, who in turn used the information to cash out on their positions while leaving the general public with overpriced shares.[C5 1y the end of %ay "#3", the stock lost over a quarter of its starting value, which led to the :all Street Aournal calling the !9F a 8fiasco.8[7# )fter !9F !n Auly "#3", Facebook added a gay marriage icon to its timeline feature.[73 Fn )ugust "4, "#3", Facebook released an update to its iFS app, version =.#. .he app changed how data was collected and displayed to make the app faster. Fn Aanuary 3=, "#34, Facebook announced its new product Jraph Search, which provides users with a 8precise answer8 rather than a link to an answer by leveraging the data already present on its site.[7" Facebook emphasi,ed that the feature would be 8privacy7aware,8 returning only results from content already shared with the user.[74 .he company is the sub6ect of a lawsuit by <embrandt Social %edia for the use of patents involving the 82ike8 button.[7$ Fn )pril 4, "#34, Facebook unveiled 'ome, a user7interface layer for )ndroid devices offering greater integration with the service. '.* announced a smartphone with 'ome pre7loaded, the '.* First.[7= Fn )pril 3=, "#34, Facebook announced an alliance with the Dational )ssociation of

)ttorneys Jeneral to provide teens and parents with information on tools that to manage Facebook profiles. .he partnership spanned 35 states.[7C Fn )pril 35, "#34, Facebook officially modified its logo to remove the faint blue line at the bottom of the 8F8 icon. .he letter 8F8 moved closer to the edge of the bo0.[77 Following a campaign uniting 3## advocacy groups, Facebook agreed to update its policy on hate speech. .he campaign highlighted content promoting domestic and se0ual violence against women, and used over =7,### tweets and more than $,5## emails to create outcomes such as the withdrawal of advertising from Facebook by 3= companies, including Dissan UK, 'ouse of 1urlesque and Dationwide UK. .he social media website initially responded by stating that 8:hile it may be vulgar and offensive, distasteful content on its own does not violate our policies.8,[7- but agreed on %ay "5, "#34 to take action after it had 8become clear that our systems to identify and remove hate speech have failed to work as effectively as we would like, particularly around issues of gender7based hate.8[75 Fn Aune 3", "#34 Facebook officially announced on its newsroom that it was introducing clickable hashtags to help users follow trending discussions or search what others are talking about on a particular topic.[-# ) Auly "#34 :all Street Aournal article identified the Facebook !9F as the cause of a change in the U.S./ national economic statistics, as the company home, San %ateo *ounty, *alifornia, became the top wage7earning county in the country after the fourth quarter of "#3". .he 1ureau of 2abor Statistics reported that the average weekly wage in the county was US@4,"$#, 3#7; higher than the previous yearH 8.hat/s the equivalent of @3C-,### a year, and more than more than =#; higher than the ne0t highest county, Dew Iork *ounty >better known as %anhattan?, which came in at @",3#7 a week, or roughly @33#,### a year.8[-3

%ark &uckerberg co7created Facebook in his 'arvard dorm room, "##=.

Facebook on the )d7tech "#3#

1illboard on the .homson <euters building welcomes Facebook to Dasdaq, "#3".

*orporate affairs

%anagement .he ownership percentages of the company, )s of "#3" areH %ark &uckerbergH "-;,[-" )ccel 9artnersH 3#;, +igital Sky .echnologiesH 3#;,[-4 +ustin %oskovit,H C;, (duardo SaverinH =;, Sean 9arkerH $;, 9eter .hielH 4;, Jreylock 9artners and %eritech *apital 9artnersH between 3 to "; each, %icrosoftH 3.4;, 2i Ka7shingH #.-;, the !nterpublic JroupH less than #.=;. ) small group of current and former employees and celebrities own less than 3; each, including %att *ohler, Aeff <othschild, )dam +/)ngelo, *hris 'ughes, and Fwen Gan Datta, while <eid 'offman and %ark 9incus have si,able holdings of the company. .he remaining 4#; or so are owned by employees, an undisclosed number of celebrities, and outside investors.[-$ )dam +/)ngelo, former chief technology officer and friend of &uckerberg, resigned in %ay "##-. <eports claimed that he and &uckerberg began quarreling, and that he was no longer interested in partial ownership of the company.[-= Key management personnel comprise *hris *o0 >G9 of 9roduct?, Sheryl Sandberg >*FF?, and %ark &uckerberg >*hairman and *(F?. )s of )pril "#33, Facebook has over ",### employees, and offices in 3= countries.[-C Fther managers include chief financial officer +avid (bersman and public relations head (lliot Schrage.[-7 <evenue %ost of Facebook/s revenue comes from advertising.[-- [-5 <evenues >estimated, in millions US@? Iear <evenue Jrowth L 3--;

"##C @="[5# "##7 @3=#[53

"##- @"-#[5" "##5 @77=[54 "#3# @",###[5$ "#33 @$,"7#[5=

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Facebook generally has a lower clickthrough rate >*.<? for advertisements than most ma6or :eb sites. )ccording to 1usiness:eek.com, banner advertisements on Facebook have generally received one7fifth the number of clicks compared to those on the :eb as a whole,[5C although specific comparisons can reveal a much larger disparity. For e0ample, while Joogle users click on the first advertisement for search results an average of -; of the time >-#,### clicks for every one million searches?,[57 Facebook/s users click on advertisements an average of #.#$; of the time >$## clicks for every one million pages?.[5Sarah Smith, who was Facebook/s Fnline Sales Fperations %anager, reports that successful advertising campaigns on the site can have clickthrough rates as low as #.#=; to #.#$;, and that *.< for ads tend to fall within two weeks. [55 1y comparison, the *.< for competing social network %ySpace is about #.3;, about ".= times better than Facebook/s rate but still low compared to many other :eb sites. .he cause of Facebook/s low *.< has been attributed to younger users enabling ad blocking software and being better at ignoring advertising messages, as well as the site being used more for the purpose of social communication as opposed to viewing content.[3## Fn pages for brands and products, however, some companies have reported *.< as high as C.$5; for :all posts.[3#3 ) study found that, for video advertisements on Facebook, over $#; of users who viewed the videos viewed the entire video, while the industry average was "=; for in7banner video ads.[3#" %ergers and acquisitions %ain articleH 2ist of acquisitions by Facebook Fn Dovember 3=, "#3#, Facebook announced it had acquired the domain name fb.com from the )merican Farm 1ureau Federation for an undisclosed amount. Fn Aanuary 33, "#33, the Farm 1ureau disclosed @-.= million in 8domain sales income8, making the acquisition of F1.com one of the ten highest domain sales in history.[3#4 Fffices

(ntrance to Facebook headquarters comple0 in %enlo 9ark, *alifornia

(ntrance to Facebook/s previous headquarters in the Stanford <esearch 9ark, 9alo )lto, *alifornia !n early "#33, Facebook announced plans to move to its new headquarters, the former Sun %icrosystems campus in %enlo 9ark, *alifornia. )ll users outside of the US and *anada have a contract with Facebook/s !rish subsidiary 8Facebook !reland 2imited8. .his allows Facebook to avoid US ta0es for all users in (urope, )sia, )ustralia, )frica and South )merica. Facebook is making use of the +ouble !rish arrangement which allows it to pay 6ust about "74; corporation ta0 on all international revenue.[3#$ !n "#3#, Facebook opened its fourth office, in 'yderabad[3#= [3#C [3#7 and the first in )sia.[3#Facebook, which in "#3# had more than 7=# million active users globally including over "4 million in !ndia, announced that its 'yderabad centre would house online advertising and developer support teams and provide round7 the7clock, multi7lingual support to the social networking site/s users and advertisers globally.[3#5 :ith this, Facebook 6oins other giants like Joogle, %icrosoft, Fracle, +ell, !1% and *omputer )ssociates that have already set up shop.[33# !n 'yderabad, it is registered as /Facebook !ndia Fnline Services 9vt 2td/.[333 [33" [334 .hough Facebook did not specify its !ndia investment or hiring figures, it said recruitment had already begun for a director of operations and other key positions at 'yderabad,[33$ which would supplement its operations in *alifornia, +ublin in !reland as well as at )ustin, .e0as. ) custom7built data center with substantially reduced >84-; less8? power consumption compared to e0isting Facebook data centers opened in )pril "#33 in 9rineville, Fregon.[33= !n )pril "#3" Facebook opened a second data center in Forest *ity, Dorth *arolina. Fn Fctober 3, "#3", *(F &uckerberg visited %oscow to stimulate social media innovation in <ussia and to boost FacebookMs position in the <ussian market.[33C <ussia/s communications minister tweeted that 9rime %inister

+mitry %edvedev urged the social media giant/s founder to abandon plans to lure away <ussian programmers and instead consider opening a research center in %oscow. Facebook has roughly 5 million users in <ussia, while domestic clone GK has around 4$ million.[337 Fpen source contributions Facebook is both a consumer of and contributor to free and open source software.[33- Facebook/s contributions includeH 'ip'op for 9'9,[335 Fair scheduler in )pache 'adoop,[3"# )pache 'ive, )pache *assandra,[3"3 and the Fpen *ompute 9ro6ect.[3"" Facebook also contributes to other opensource pro6ects such as Fracle/s %ySE2 database engine.[3"4 [3"$ :ebsite

%ain articlesH Facebook features and Facebook 9latform

9rofile shown on .hefacebook in "##= User profile Users can create profiles with photos, lists of personal interests, contact information, and other personal information. Users can communicate with friends and other users through private or public messages and a chat feature. .hey can also create and 6oin interest groups and 8like pages8 >called 8fan pages8 until )pril 35, "#3#?, some of which are maintained by organi,ations as a means of advertising.[3"= Facebook has been prompted to add a 8third gender8, 8other8, or 8interse08 tab in the gender option which contains only male and female.[3"C Facebook refused and said that individuals can 8opt out of showing their se0 on their profile8.[3"7 ) "#3" 9ew !nternet and )merican 2ife study identified that between "#N4#; of Facebook users are 8power users8 who frequently link, poke, post and tag themselves and others.[3"- .he user page is set up in a minimal fashion with blue as the main color. .his was done because &uckerberg is red7green colorblind.[3"5 Fn Aune 34, "##5, Facebook introduced a 8Usernames8 feature, whereby pages can be linked with simpler U<2s such as httpHOOwww.facebook.comOfacebook instead of

httpHOOwww.facebook.comOprofile.phpBidP"#=4343C7"-.[34# %any new smartphones offer access to Facebook services through either their :eb browsers or applications. )n official Facebook application is available for the operating systems )ndroid, iFS, and webFS. Dokia and <esearch !n %otion both provide Facebook applications for their own mobile devices. %ore than $"= million active users access Facebook through mobile devices across "## mobile operators in C# countries.[343 *omparison with %yspace .he media often compares Facebook to %yspace, but one significant difference between the two :eb sites is the level of customi,ation.[34" )nother difference is Facebook/s requirement that users give their true identity, a demand that %ySpace does not make.[344 %ySpace allows users to decorate their profiles using '.%2 and *ascading Style Sheets >*SS?, while Facebook allows only plain te0t.[34$ Facebook has a number of features with which users may interact. .hey include the :all, a space on every user/s profile page that allows friends to post messages for the user to seeQ[34= 9okes, which allows users to send a virtual 8poke8 to each other >a notification then tells a user that they have been poked?Q[34C 9hotos, where users can upload albums and photosQ[347 and Status, which allows users to inform their friends of their whereabouts and actions.[34- +epending on privacy settings, anyone who can see a user/s profile can also view that user/s :all. !n Auly "##7, Facebook began allowing users to post attachments to the :all, whereas the :all was previously limited to te0tual content only. [34= Dews Feed Fn September C, "##C, a Dews Feed was announced, which appears on every user/s homepage and highlights information including profile changes, upcoming events, and birthdays of the user/s friends.[345 .his enabled spammers and other users to manipulate these features by creating illegitimate events or posting fake birthdays to attract attention to their profile or cause.[3$# !nitially, the Dews Feed caused dissatisfaction among Facebook usersQ some complained it was too cluttered and full of undesired information, others were concerned that it made it too easy for others to track individual activities >such as relationship status changes, events, and conversations with other users?.[3$3 !n response, &uckerberg issued an apology for the site/s failure to include appropriate customi,able privacy features. Since then, users have been able to control what types of information are shared automatically with friends. Users are now able to prevent user7set categories of friends from seeing updates about certain types of activities, including profile changes, :all

posts, and newly added friends.[3$" Fn February "4, "#3#, Facebook was granted a patent[3$4 on certain aspects of its Dews Feed. .he patent covers Dews Feeds in which links are provided so that one user can participate in the same activity of another user. [3$$ .he patent may encourage Facebook to pursue action against websites that violate its patent, which may potentially include websites such as .witter. [3$= Fne of the most popular applications on Facebook is the 9hotos application, where users can upload albums and photos.[3$C Facebook allows users to upload an unlimited number of photos, compared with other image hosting services such as 9hotobucket and Flickr, which apply limits to the number of photos that a user is allowed to upload. +uring the first years, Facebook users were limited to C# photos per album. )s of %ay "##5, this limit has been increased to "## photos per album.[3$7 [3$- [3$5 [3=# 9rivacy settings can be set for individual albums, limiting the groups of users that can see an album. For e0ample, the privacy of an album can be set so that only the user/s friends can see the album, while the privacy of another album can be set so that all Facebook users can see it. )nother feature of the 9hotos application is the ability to 8tag8, or label, users in a photo. For instance, if a photo contains a user/s friend, then the user can tag the friend in the photo. .his sends a notification to the friend that they have been tagged, and provides them a link to see the photo.[3=3 Fn Aune 7, "#3", Facebook launched its )pp *enter to its users. !t will help the users in finding games and other applications with ease.[3=" Since the launch of the )pp *enter, Facebook has seen 3=#% monthly users with ".$ times the installation of apps.[3=4 .he sorting and display of stories in a user/s Dews Feed is governed by the algorithm (dge<ank.[3=$ Facebook Dotes Facebook Dotes was introduced on )ugust "", "##C, a blogging feature that allowed tags and embeddable images. Users were later able to import blogs from Ranga, 2iveAournal, 1logger, and other blogging services.[4- +uring the week of )pril 7, "##-, Facebook released a *omet7based[3== instant messaging application called 8*hat8 to several networks,[3=C which allows users to communicate with friends and is similar in functionality to desktop7 based instant messengers. Facebook launched Jifts on February -, "##7, which allows users to send virtual gifts to their friends that appear on the recipient/s profile. Jifts cost

@3.## each to purchase, and a personali,ed message can be attached to each gift.[3=7 [3=- Fn %ay 3$, "##7, Facebook launched %arketplace, which lets users post free classified ads.[3=5 %arketplace has been compared to *raigslist by *D(., which points out that the ma6or difference between the two is that listings posted by a user on %arketplace are seen only by users in the same network as that user, whereas listings posted on *raigslist can be seen by anyone.[3C# Fn Auly "#, "##-, Facebook introduced 8Facebook 1eta8, a significant redesign of its user interface on selected networks. .he %ini7Feed and :all were consolidated, profiles were separated into tabbed sections, and an effort was made to create a 8cleaner8 look.[3C3 )fter initially giving users a choice to switch, Facebook began migrating all users to the new version starting in September "##-.[3C" Fn +ecember 33, "##-, it was announced that Facebook was testing a simpler signup process.[3C4 %essaging ) new %essaging platform, codenamed 89ro6ect .itan8, was launched on Dovember 3=, "#3#. +escribed as a 8Jmail killer8 by some publications, the system allows users to directly communicate with each other via Facebook using several different methods >including a special email address, te0t messaging, or through the Facebook website or mobile app?Lno matter what method is used to deliver a message, they are contained within single threads in a unified inbo0. )s with other Facebook features, users can ad6ust from whom they can receive messages fromLincluding 6ust friends, friends of friends, or from anyone.[3C$ [3C= )side from the Facebook website, %essages can also be accessed through the site/s mobile apps, or a dedicated Facebook %essenger app,[3CC Goice calls Since )pril "#33, Facebook users have had the ability to make live voice calls via Facebook *hat, allowing users to chat with others from all over the world. .his feature, which is provided free through .7%obile/s new 1obsled service, lets the user add voice to the current Facebook *hat as well as leave voice messages on Facebook.[3C7 Gideo calling Fn Auly C, "#33, Facebook launched its video calling services using Skype as its technology partner. !t allows one7to7one calling using a Skype <est )9!. Following Fn September 3$, "#33, Facebook added the ability for users to provide a

8Subscribe8 button on their page, which allows users to subscribe to public postings by the user without needing to add them as a friend.[3C- !n con6unction, Facebook also introduced a system in February "#3" to verify the identity of certain accounts. Unlike a similar system used by .witter, verified accounts do not display a special verification badge, but are given a higher priority in a user/s 8Subscription Suggestions8.[3C5 !n +ecember "#3", Facebook announced that due to user confusion surrounding its function, the Subscribe button would be re7labeled as a 8Follow8 buttonLmaking it more similar to other social networks with similar functions.[37# 9rivacy .o allay concerns about privacy, Facebook enables users to choose their own privacy settings and choose who can see specific parts of their profile.[373 .he website is free to users, and generates revenue from advertising, such as banner ads.[37" Facebook requires a user/s name and profile picture >if applicable? to be accessible by everyone. Users can control who sees other information they have shared, as well as who can find them in searches, through their privacy settings.[374 )ccording to comScore, an internet marketing research company, Facebook collects as much data from its visitors as Joogle and %icrosoft, but considerably less than IahooS.[37$ !n "#3#, the security team began e0panding its efforts to reduce the risks to users/ privacy,[37= but privacy concerns remain.[37C Fn Dovember C, "##7, Facebook launched Facebook 1eacon, which was an ultimately failed attempt to advertise to friends of users using the knowledge of what purchases friends made. )s of %arch "#3", Facebook/s usage of its user data is under close scrutiny.[377 F.* settlement Fn Dovember "5, "#33, Facebook agreed to settle US Federal .rade *ommission charges that it deceived consumers by failing to keep privacy promises.[37.echnical aspects Facebook is built in 9'9 which is compiled with 'ip'op for 9'9, a source code transformer built by Facebook engineers that turns 9'9 into *TT. .he deployment of 'ip'op reportedly reduced average *9U consumption on Facebook servers by =#;.[375 Facebook is developed as one monolithic application. )ccording to an interview in "#3" with *huck <ossi, a build engineer at Facebook, Facebook compiles into a 3.= J1 binary blob which is then distributed to the servers

using a custom 1it.orrent7based release system. <ossi stated that it takes appro0imately 3= minutes to build and 3= minutes to release to the servers. .he build and release process is ,ero downtime and new changes to Facebook are rolled out daily.[375 Facebook used a combination platform based on '1ase to store data across distributed machines. Using a tailing architecture, new events are stored in log files, and the logs are tailed. .he system rolls these events up and writes them into storage. .he User !nterface then pulls the data out and displays it to users. Facebook handles requests as )A)R behavior. .hese requests are written to a log file using Scribe >developed by Facebook?.[3-# +ata is read from these log files using 9tail, an internally built tool to aggregate data from multiple Scribe stores. !t tails the log files and pulls data out >thus the name?. 9tail data is separated out into three streams so they can eventually be sent to their own clusters in different data centers >9lugin impression, Dews feed impressions, )ctions >plugin T news feed??. 9uma is used to manage periods of high data flow >!nputOFutput or !F?. +ata is processed in batches to lessen the amount of times needed to read and write under high demand periods >) hot article will generate a lot of impressions and news feed impressions which will cause huge data skews?. 1atches are taken every 3.= seconds, limited by memory used when creating a hash table.[3-# )fter this, data is output in 9'9 format >compiled with 'ip'op for 9'9?. .he backend is written in Aava and .hrift is used as the messaging format so 9'9 programs can query Aava services. *aching solutions are used to make the web pages display more quickly. .he more and longer data is cached the less realtime it is. .he data is then sent to %ap<educe servers so it can be queried via 'ive. .his also serves as a backup plan as the data can be recovered from 'ive. <aw logs are removed after a period of time.[3-# 2ike button .he like button is a social networking feature, allowing users to e0press their appreciation of content such as status updates, comments, photos, and advertisements. !t is also a social plug7in of the Facebook 9latform N launched on )pril "3, "#3#[3-3 [3-" N that enables participating !nternet websites to display a similar like button. *ontinuously liking any contents of one/s friend will cause flooding of notifications on hisOher part and Facebook will display message to the liker stating that >s?he must slow downQ >s?he must wait for five minutes in order for himOher to continue liking. 2awsuit

9atents relating to the 82ike8 button and other social features held by deceased +utch programmer Aoannes Ao,ef (verardus van +er %eer are sub6ect of a lawsuit brought against Facebook by <embrandt Social %edia. [7$ [3-4 <eception

)ccording to comScore, Facebook is the leading social networking site based on monthly unique visitors, having overtaken main competitor %ySpace in )pril "##-.[3-$ *omScore reports that Facebook attracted 34# million unique visitors in %ay "#3#, an increase of -.C million people.[3-= )ccording to )le0a, the website/s ranking among all websites increased from C#th to 7th in worldwide traffic, from September "##C to September "##7, and is currently "nd.[3-C Euantcast ranks the website "nd in the U.S. in traffic, [3-7 and *ompete.com ranks it "nd in the U.S.[3-- .he website is the most popular for uploading photos, with =# billion uploaded cumulatively.[3-5 !n "#3#, Sophos/s 8Security .hreat <eport "#3#8 polled over =## firms, C#; of which responded that they believed that Facebook was the social network that posed the biggest threat to security, well ahead of %ySpace, .witter, and 2inked!n.[37= Facebook is the most popular social networking site in several (nglish7 speaking countries, including *anada,[35# the United Kingdom,[353 and the United States.[35" [354 [35$ [35= !n regional !nternet markets, Facebook penetration is highest in Dorth )merica >C5 percent?, followed by %iddle (ast7)frica >C7 percent?, 2atin )merica >=- percent?, (urope >=7 percent?, and )sia79acific >37 percent?.[35C Some of the top competitors were listed in "##7 by %ashable.[357 .he website has won awards such as placement into the 8.op 3## *lassic :ebsites8 by 9* %aga,ine in "##7,[35- and winning the 89eople/s Goice )ward8 from the :ebby )wards in "##-.[355 !n a "##C study conducted by Student %onitor, a Dew Aersey7based company speciali,ing in research concerning the college student market, Facebook was named the second most popular thing among undergraduates, tied with beer and only ranked lower than the i9od.["## Fn %arch "#3#, Audge <ichard Seeborg issued an order approving the class settlement in 2ane v. Facebook, !nc.,["#3 the class action lawsuit arising out of Facebook/s 1eacon program. !n "#3#, Facebook won the *runchie 81est Fverall Startup Fr 9roduct8 for the third year in a row["#" and was recogni,ed as one of the 8'ottest Silicon Galley *ompanies8 by 2ead$33.["#4 'owever, in a Auly "#3# survey

performed by the )merican *ustomer Satisfaction !nde0, Facebook received a score of C$ out of 3##, placing it in the bottom =; of all private7sector companies in terms of customer satisfaction, alongside industries such as the !<S e7file system, airlines, and cable companies. .he reasons why Facebook scored so poorly include privacy problems, frequent changes to the website/s interface, the results returned by the Dews Feed, and spam.["#$ .otal active users[D 3 +ate Users >in millions? +ays later )ugust "C, "##%onthly growth[D " 3,CC= 37-.4-; 34.44; 3C# C.55; $.="; 3C4.$=; 33= 3.7$; ".#$; 3.C7; 4.74; 4.=7; 5.4-;

3##["#= ""=

)pril -, "##5 "##["#C September 3=, "##5 February =, "#3# Auly "3, "#3# Aanuary =, "#33 %ay 4#, "#33

4##["#7 3$4 3CC

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September "", "#33 )pril "$, "#3" Fctober $, "#3" %arch 43, "#34

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5##["34 3,###["3$ 3,33#[C

!n +ecember "##-, the Supreme *ourt of the )ustralian *apital .erritory ruled that Facebook is a valid protocol to serve court notices to defendants. !t is believed to be the world/s first legal 6udgement that defines a summons posted on Facebook as legally binding.["3= !n %arch "##5, the Dew &ealand 'igh *ourt associate 6ustice +avid Jendall allowed for the serving of legal papers on *raig )0e by the company )0e %arket Jarden via Facebook.["3C ["37 (mployers >such as Girgin )tlantic )irways? have also used Facebook as a means to keep tabs on their employees and have even been known to fire them over posts they have made.["31y "##=, the use of Facebook had already become so ubiquitous that the generic verb 8facebooking8 had come into use to describe the process of browsing others/ profiles or updating one/s own.["35 !n "##-, *ollins (nglish +ictionary declared 8Facebook8 as its new :ord of the Iear.[""# !n

+ecember "##5, the Dew F0ford )merican +ictionary declared its word of the year to be the verb 8unfriend8, defined as 8.o remove someone as a /friend/ on a social networking site such as Facebook. )s in, /! decided to unfriend my roommate on Facebook after we had a fight./8[""3 !n early "#3#, Fpenbook was established, an avowed parody >and privacy advocacy? website[""" that enables te0t7based searches of those :all posts that are available to 8(veryone8, i.e. to everyone on the !nternet. :riters for .he :all Street Aournal found in "#3# that Facebook apps were transmitting identifying information to 8do,ens of advertising and !nternet tracking companies8. .he apps used an '..9 referrer which e0posed the user/s identity and sometimes their friends/. Facebook said, 8:e have taken immediate action to disable all applications that violate our terms8.[""4 !n Aanuary "#34, the countries with the most Facebook users wereH[""$ United States with 3C-.- million members 1ra,il with C$.C million members !ndia with C".C million members !ndonesia with =3.$ million members %e0ico with $#." million members )ll of the above total 4#5 million members or about 4-.C percent of Facebook/s 3 billion worldwide members.[""= )s of %arch "#34, Facebook reported having 3.33 billion monthly active users, globally.[""C !n regards to Facebook/s mobile usage, per an analyst report in early "#34, there are 35" million )ndroid users, 3$7 million i9hone users, $- million i9ad users and =C million messenger users, and a total of C#$ million mobile Facebook users.[""7

Facebook popularity. )ctive users of Facebook increased from 6ust a million in "##$ to over 7=# million in "#33.[""-

<egistered Facebook users by age as of "#3#.

*riticisms and controversies

%ain articleH *riticism of Facebook Fn )ugust 35, "#34, Facebook/s guest service treatment was widely decried. .hat day, it was reported that a Facebook user from 9alestine Khalil Shreateh had found a bug that allowed him to post material to other users/ Facebook :alls. Users aren/t supposed to have the ability to post material to the Facebook :alls of other users unless they/re approved friends with those users that they have posted material to. .o prove that he was telling the truth, Shreateh posted material to Sarah Joodin/s wall, a friend of Facebook *(F %ark &uckerberg. Following this, Shreateh contacted Facebook/s security team with the proof that his bug was real, e0plaining in detail what was going on. Facebook has a bounty program in which it compensates people a =##T fee for reporting bugs instead of using them to their advantage or selling them on the black market. 'owever, it was reported that instead of fi0ing the bug and paying Shreateh the fee, Facebook originally told him that 8this was not a bug8 and dismissed him. Shreateh then tried a second time to inform Facebook, but they dismissed him yet again. Fn the third try, Shreateh used the bug to post a message to %ark &uckerbeg/s :all, stating 8Sorry for breaking your privacy ... but a couple of days ago, ! found a serious Facebook e0ploit8 and that Facebook/s security team wasn/t taking him seriously. :ithin minutes, a security engineer contacted Shreateh, questioned him on how he performed the move and ultimately acknowledged that it was a bug in the system. Facebook temporarily suspended Shreateh/s account and fi0ed the bug after several days. 'owever, in a move that was met with much public criticism and disapproval, Facebook refused to pay out the =##T fee to ShreatehQ instead, Facebook responded that by posting to &uck/s account, Shreateh had violated one of their terms of service policies and therefore 8could not be paid.8 !n closing, the Facebook team asked that Shreateh continue to help them find bugs.[""5 ["4# ["43 Facebook has met with controversies. !t has been blocked intermittently in several countries including the 9eople/s <epublic of *hina,["4" !ran,["44 U,bekistan,["4$ 9akistan,["4= Syria >unblocked in Syria["4C ?,["47 and 1angladesh[citation needed on different bases. For e0ample, it was banned in many countries of the world on the basis of allowed content 6udged as anti7 !slamic and containing religious discrimination. !t has also been banned at many workplaces to prevent employees from using it during work hours.["4.he privacy of Facebook users has also been an issue, and the safety of user accounts has been compromised several times. Facebook has settled a

lawsuit regarding claims over source code and intellectual property.["45 !n %ay "#33 emails were sent to 6ournalists and bloggers making critical allegations about Joogle/s privacy policiesQ however it was later discovered that the anti7Joogle campaign, conducted by 9< giant 1urson7%arsteller, was paid for by Facebook in what *DD referred to as 8a new level skullduggery8 and which +aily 1east called a 8clumsy smear8.["$# !n Auly "#33, Jerman authorities began to discuss the prohibition of events organi,ed on Facebook. .he decision is based on several cases of overcrowding by people not originally invited.["$3 ["$" !n one instance, 3,C## 8guests8 attended the 3Cth birthday party for a 'amburg girl who accidentally posted the invitation for the event as public. )fter reports of overcrowding, more than a hundred police were deployed for crowd control. ) policeman was in6ured and eleven participants were arrested for assault, property damage and resistance to authorities.["$4 !n another une0pectedly overcrowded event, $3 young people were arrested and at least 3C in6ured. ["$$ !n "##7, it was reported that $4; of 1ritish office workers were blocked from accessing Facebook at work, due to concerns including reduced productivity and the potential for industrial espionage.["$= ) "#33 study in the online 6ournal First %onday, 8:hy 9arents 'elp .heir *hildren 2ie to Facebook )bout )geH Unintended *onsequences of the *hildren/s Fnline 9rivacy 9rotection )ct,8 e0amines how parents consistently enable children as young as 3# years old to sign up for accounts, directly violating Facebook/s policy banning young visitors. .his policy technically allows Facebook to avoid conflicts with a United States federal law, the 355*hildren/s Fnline 9rivacy 9rotection )ct >*F99)?, which requires minors aged 34 or younger to gain e0plicit parental consent to access commercial websites. Ff the more than 3,### households surveyed for the study, more than three7quarters >7C;? of parents reported that their child 6oined Facebook when she was younger than 34, the minimum age in the site/s terms of service. .he study notes that, in response to widespread reports of underage users, a Facebook e0ecutive has said that 8Facebook removes "#,### people a day, people who are underage.8 .he study/s authors also note, 8!ndeed, Facebook takes various measures both to restrict access to children and delete their accounts if they 6oin.8 .he findings of the study raise questions primarily about the shortcomings of United States federal law, but also implicitly continue to raise questions about whether or not Facebook does enough to publici,e its terms of service with respect to minors. Fnly =4; of parents said they were aware that Facebook has a minimum signup ageQ 4=; of these parents believe that the minimum age is a site recommendation >not a condition of site use?, or thought the signup age was 3C or 3-, and not 34. ["$C

!n Dovember "#33, several Facebook users in 1angalore, !ndia reported that their accounts had been hacked and their profile pictures were replaced with pornographic images. For more than a week, users/ news feeds were spammed with pornographic, violent and se0ual contents, and it was reported that more than "##,### accounts were affected. Facebook described the reports as inaccurate, and 1angalore police speculated that the stories may have been rumors spread by Facebook/s competitors.["$7 ["$) "#34 study in the 6ournal *yber9sychology, 1ehavior, and Social Detworking, 8:ho *ommits Girtual !dentity SuicideB +ifferences in 9rivacy *oncerns, !nternet )ddiction, and 9ersonality 1etween Facebook Users and Euitters8 points to the fact that there is a rising number of Facebook users who are discontent with Facebook and finally decide to quit Facebook. .he number one reason for users to quit Facebook was privacy concerns >$-;?, being followed by a general dissatisfaction with Facebook >3$;?, negative aspects regarding Facebook friends >34;? and the feeling of getting addicted to Facebook >C;?. Facebook quitters were found to be more concerned about privacy, more addicted to the !nternet and more conscientious.[37C !mpact

%edia impact !n )pril "#33, Facebook launched a new portal for marketers and creative agencies to help them develop brand promotions on Facebook.["$5 .he company began its push by inviting a select group of 1ritish advertising leaders to meet Facebook/s top e0ecutives at an 8influencers/ summit8 in February "#3#. Facebook has now been involved in campaigns for .rue 1lood, )merican !dol, and .op Jear.["=# Dews and media outlets such as the :ashington 9ost,["=3 Financial .imes["=" and )1* Dews["=4 have used aggregated Facebook fan data to create various infographics and charts to accompany their articles. !n "#3", the beauty pageant %iss Sri 2anka Fnline was run e0clusively using Facebook.["=$ Social impact %ain articlesH Social networking serviceUSocial impact and Social impact of the !nternetUSocial networking and entertainment Facebook has affected the social life and activity of people in various ways. :ith its availability on many mobile devices, Facebook allows users to continuously stay in touch with friends, relatives and other acquaintances wherever they are in the world, as long as there is access to the !nternet. !t can also unite people with common interests andOor beliefs through groups

and other pages, and has been known to reunite lost family members and friends because of the widespread reach of its network.["== Fne such reunion was between Aohn :atson and the daughter he had been seeking for "# years. .hey met after :atson found her Facebook profile.["=C )nother fatherNdaughter reunion was between .ony %acnauton and Frances Simpson, who had not seen each other for nearly $- years.["=7 Some argue that Facebook is beneficial to one/s social life because they can continuously stay in contact with their friends and relatives, while others say that it can cause increased antisocial tendencies because people are not directly communicating with each other. Some studies have named Facebook as a source of problems in relationships. Several news stories have suggested that using Facebook can lead to higher instances of divorce and infidelity, but the claims have been questioned by other commentators.["=- ["=5 Facebook envy Unless you get out of Facebook and into someone/s face, you really have not acted. VW .homas 2. Friedman, "#3"["C# <ecent studies have shown that Facebook causes negative effects on self7 esteem by triggering feelings of envy, with vacation and holiday photos proving to be the largest resentment triggers. Fther prevalent causes of envy include posts by friends about family happiness and images of physical beautyLsuch envious feelings leave people lonely and dissatisfied with their own lives. ) 6oint study by two Jerman universities discovered that one out of three people were more dissatisfied with their lives after visiting Facebook, and another study by Utah Galley University found that college students felt worse about their own lives following an increase in the amount of time spent on Facebook.["C3 ["C" ["C4 9olitical impact

.he stage at the Facebook N Saint )nselm *ollege debates in "##-. Facebook/s role in the )merican political process was demonstrated in Aanuary "##-, shortly before the Dew 'ampshire primary, when Facebook teamed up with )1* and Saint )nselm *ollege to allow users to give live feedback about the 8back to back8 Aanuary = <epublican and +emocratic

debates.["C$ ["C= ["CC *harles Jibson moderated both debates, held at the +ana *enter for the 'umanities at Saint )nselm *ollege. Facebook users took part in debate groups organi,ed around specific topics, register to vote, and message questions.["C7 )1*Dews.com reported in "#3" that the Facebook fanbases of political candidates have relevance for the election campaign, includingH )llows politicians and campaign organi,ers to understand the interests and demographics of their Facebook fanbases, to better target their voters. 9rovides a means for voters to keep up7to7date on candidates/ activities, such as connecting to the candidates/ Facebook Fan 9ages. Fver a million people installed the Facebook application 8US 9olitics on Facebook8 in order to take part, and the application measured users/ responses to specific comments made by the debating candidates.["C- .his debate showed the broader community what many young students had already e0periencedH Facebook as a popular and powerful new way to interact and voice opinions. )n article by %ichelle Sullivan of Uwire.com illustrates how the 8Facebook effect8 has affected youth voting rates, support by youth of political candidates, and general involvement by the youth population in the "##- election.["C5 !n February "##-, a Facebook group called 8Fne %illion Goices )gainst F)<*8 organi,ed an event in which hundreds of thousands of *olombians marched in protest against the <evolutionary )rmed Forces of *olombia, better known as the F)<* >from the group/s Spanish name?.["7# !n )ugust "#3#, one of Dorth Korea/s official government websites and the official news agency of the country, Urimin,okkiri, 6oined Facebook.["73

) man during the "#33 (gyptian protests carrying a card saying 8Facebook,U6an"=, .he (gyptian Social Detwork8. !n Aanuary "#33, Facebook played a ma6or role in generating the first spark for the "#33 (gyptian revolution.["7" ["74 Fn Aanuary 3$, the Facebook page of 8:e are all khaled Said8 was started by :ael Jhoniem *reate (vent to invite the (gyptian people to 8peaceful demonstrations8 on Aanuary "=. )s in .unisia, Facebook become the primary tool for connecting all protesters, which lead the (gyptian government of 9rime %inister Da,if to ban Facebook, .witter and another websites on Aanuary "C["7$ then ban all mobile and !nternet connections for all of (gypt at midnight Aanuary "-. )fter 3- days,

the uprising forced 9resident %ubarak to resign. !n "#33 there was a controversial ruling by French government to uphold a 355" decree which stipulates that commercial enterprises should not be promoted on news programs. 9resident Dicolas Sarko,y/s colleagues have agreed that it will enforce a law so that the word 8Facebook8 will not be allowed to be spoken on the television or on the radio.["7= !n "#33, Facebook filed paperwork with the Federal (lection *ommission to form a political action committee under the name F1 9)*.["7C !n an email to .he 'ill, a spokesman for Facebook said 8F1 9)* will give our employees a way to make their voice heard in the political process by supporting candidates who share our goals of promoting the value of innovation to our economy while giving people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.8["77 !n popular culture

)merican author 1en %e,rich published a book in Auly "##5 about %ark &uckerberg and the founding of Facebook, titled .he )ccidental 1illionairesH .he Founding of Facebook, ) .ale of Se0, %oney, Jenius, and 1etrayal.["7.he Social Detwork, a drama film directed by +avid Fincher about the founding of Facebook, was released Fctober 3, "#3#.["75 %ark &uckerberg has said that .he Social Detwork is inaccurate.["-# !n response to the (verybody +raw %ohammed +ay controversy and the ban of the website in 9akistan, an !slamic version of the website was created, called %illatFacebook.["-3 8Iou 'ave # Friends8, an )pril "#3# episode of the )merican animated comedy series, South 9ark, e0plicitly parodied Facebook.["-" )t age 3#", !vy 1ean of 1radford, (ngland 6oined Facebook in "##-, making her one of the oldest people ever on Facebook.["-4 ["-$ )t the time of her death in Auly "#3#, she had $,5C" friends on Facebook and more than =C,### followers on .witter.["-= Fn %ay 3C, "#33, an !sraeli couple named their daughter after the Facebook 8like8 feature.["-C ["-7 %a6or competitors of Facebook are q,one>qq.com? and renren in *hinaQ *yworld in South KoreaQ GK and Fdnoklassniki in <ussia, 1elarus, Ka,akhstan, Kyrgy,stan, %oldova, Ukraine, U,bekistanQ +raugiem.lv in 2atviaQ *loob in !ranQ &ing in GietnamQ mi0i in Aapan.["--

See also

9ortal icon 9ortal icon

*ompanies portal !nternet portal

)mbient awareness *yberstalking 2ist of social networking websites 2ist of virtual communities with more than 3## million active users Si0 degrees of separation face"face Dotes

X )n 8active user8 is defined by Facebook as a user who has visited the website in the last 4# days. X 8%onthly growth8 is the average percentage growth rate at which the total number of active users grows each month over the specified period. X .his value is from an investment document. .he date is from when the document was revealed to the public, not the actual date that the website reached this many users