See you on Facebook!

Sharyn

Leaving a softball game this summer, “see you on Facebook” is what one of my teammates shouted to a few of us as we were heading to our cars after the last game. It’s really no surprise that keeping up with the comings and goings of friends is so easily, and enthusiastically, done on Facebook. On September 15 the Web site reached the 300 million active users headcount and of those active users, 50% of them are logging on daily to:

• update their status (40 million status updates a day)
• upload pictures (2 billion photos uploaded each month)
• create an event (3 million new events are hosted each month)
• join a group (there are 45 million groups to chose from)
• become a fan (10 million people become fans every day)
• or take a quiz or play games (my least favorite tools of Facebook!)

Facebook’s web site defines their site as “a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers”. Facebook is getting the job done. Check out these statistics:

• 1 to 1 million – The ratio of Facebook engineers to users.
• 65 million – the number of active users accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.
• 35+ – The fastest growing demographic.
• 130 – The average number of friends.
• 6 billion – The number of minutes spent on Facebook every day.
• 65 – The number of translations available.
• 70% – The percentage of Facebook users that reside outside the United States.

Here at Towson, Facebook allows faculty, staff, students, alums, and university friends to connect. The admissions department has a Facebook fan page where they have over 1,100 users sharing information and checking out the demographics of TU. It’s a great way to reach out to potential applicants and current students. Towson Arts & Culture, uses their fan page to promote performances, exhibits, films and lectures each year. Although this page is relatively new, it’s clear that this fan page will be very useful as the number of fans increase. They’ll be able to use the page to not only promote those performances, but spread the word about events to a broader audience by the click of a button. Even President Caret uses Facebook to make himself more accessible to students. For him, using Facebook is a way to “get a dialogue going.” He can address important campus issues, such as parking and off campus residents, and market the university.

If you’re not a Facebook user yet, now’s the time. You can use the site as minimally as you like, or be a true active user and log on everyday with loads of information to share to all of your adoring friends, or even fans. Maybe I’ll even see you on Facebook!