Making connections: An internet social life

When Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg was brainstorming with his friends for ideas on a Web site pertaining to college students, it probably didn't cross his mind that he would be contributing to procrastination on campuses around the nation.

What came out of weeks of long discussions and late-night coffee binges was a tool for college students known as "Thefacebook," a wildly popular Internet site (www.thefacebook.com) used for getting to know peers, creating common-interest groups and sending out invitations for upcoming social events.

Since college is the place for making new friends and with so many ways to get know people, it was no surprise that the Web site became an instant success after its release in February of 2004.

"I think the site is popular because it's versatile," said Chris Hughes, co-founder and spokesman for the mega-hit site. "The idea is to make Thefacebook a resource for both information and communication, but at the same time, fun to use."

Students can join as long as two conditions are met: They must use the e-mail address provided to them by the school in order to sign up for an account and the school they attend must be on a list of campuses the Web site serves. With hundreds of schools on that list, it's unlikely a student would have any trouble joining.

After that, they can post pictures, write a profile telling their likes and dislikes, post class schedules to connect with other students who share the same classes and add friends they know or would like to get to know better onto a list that stores the other person's profile for easy access.

Hitting the more populated campuses first, Thefacebook took several months after its release to reach Southeast Missouri State University. And when it did, finding someone without an account became a difficult task.

"I have friends who are, like, completely addicted to thefacebook and were just driving me nuts on how I should join. Finally I just gave in," said incoming freshman Melissa Walter.

Although Walter isn't from the Cape Girardeau area, she said she has been making friends on campus already thanks to Thefacebook.

"I've found people that live in my building and have similar classes, which is comforting. With Facebook it's so easy to find people with common interests and opinions."

While it's a great tool for socializing, some students, such as sophomores Tabatha Johnson and Zach Burnette, have found it can get in the way of completing other, more important tasks -- like school work.

"It is so addictive. It is now part of my daily routine, no matter what else is going on that day," said Johnson.

"It makes me not pay attention when I'm in class and have a computer right in front of me," added Burnette.

However, a few lower-than-they-should-be grades have not stopped students from signing up and using the site, especially with the site's list of eligible schools growing every day.

Currently, there are more than 3 million users from 832 different colleges across the country.

"During the school year, 60 percent of our users log in each day and we get over 50 million hits in any given 24-hour time period," said Hughes.

With numbers like these, the future is looking good for Thefacebook and its creators. Hughes said that he and the team are overwhelmed at the popularity of the site and are anxious to see how many more people will join through the years.

"It's a reference tool and a means for communication. I think that combination -- and the fact that it's fun to use -- keeps people coming back," Hughes said.

sdereign@semissourian.com