Face the Facts (Issue 64) by Tiamari

In the previous issue I listed some interesting general computer facts. Today I will cover a few about the most popular social network of the decade: Facebook.

Facebook and I have a love-hate relationship, and I bet you do too! It’s a fabulous way to keep in touch with far away friends and distant family. Phone calls are expensive and often intrusive, but with Facebook, there is no pressure to hold a conversation for longer than you have time for. It is a cool way to stay informed and a brilliant tool for a host of other things, including finding your missing dog or selling your fridge!

On a Saturday afternoon a bunch of parkrunners will be scanning the Parkrun Facebook page for photos, tagging and sharing... and then promptly wish everything weren’t so public when the pics are less than flattering!

Yes, these days everything is out in the open. You click that “like” button and the whole world knows it. Applying for a new position? Be sure that your Facebook profile will be checked. So think twice before you post a little rant, or share an explicit image – it might later be held against you! In Canada, a 20-year-old IBM employee lost sick leave benefits because her Facebook page showed “cheerful” photos while she was on paid sick leave for depression.

It’s not all bad though! A Facebook post in December 2009 led to a kidney donation, and there are many such positive stories. Several crime related arrests can be linked directly to Facebook posts.

Here are a few Facebook Facts:

• Facebook launched on February 4, 2004 and accumulated over 50 million active users within its first year.
• Currently there are about 1.65 billion active users. More than 35 million users update their status daily.
• The average Facebook user has between 145 friends (the stats for males) and 166 friends (for females) and spends more than 55 minutes a day on the site.
• There are 70 different languages available for users on Facebook.
• The country with the most active users is Canada.
• Syria, China, Vietnam, and Iran have banned Facebook. Despite being blocked, there are roughly 95 million Facebook users in China.
• In Australia it is valid protocol to serve court notices to defendants on Facebook - a summons posted on Facebook is legally binding. In Florida, the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee ruled that Florida judges and lawyers should no longer “friend” each other on Facebook.
• Facebook made 25-year-old Mark Zuckerberg, the creator/owner of Facebook, the world’s youngest billionaire, worth 1.5 billion.