#18: Facebook and MySpace

Finally, something I use quite a lot on a semi-daily basis! I've been on Facebook since 2004, soon after it first was started. In those days, schools were only gradually being added, and you couldn't join unless you had a valid .edu e-mail address. It was also called the Facebook, and I still have friends who refer to it as the Facebook. Now, everyone and their mother can join, and many mothers do! (Not mine, although I do have a brother and quite a few cousins on).

I love Facebook because it's easy to use, it's multi-functional, and it's very customizable. Privacy settings let you decide who can see what on your profile; you can add friends to lists and give them different access. So your work colleagues can be banned from those pictures that aren't quite as professional as you'd like... :)

One thing I've noticed with Facebook, however, is that is has drastically changed its homepage several times, and not for the better. I used to love the news feed to see what was going on in my friends' lives, but now it's severely limited. I think that Facebook really needs to think about these changes before implementing them, as there is always quite an uproar.

Libraries have slowly infiltrated Facebook in multiple ways; they have created groups and pages for specific libraries and they have created search applications that will search library catalogs directly from Facebook. I read about one librarian who found every student in a certain program she was the liaison to and sent them a message introducing herself and the services the library offered for them. That is awesome. I know that e-mail is actually not checked as often by high school and college-age students anymore; Facebook is checked more. My brother, for instance, rarely checks his e-mail, but he's on Facebook every day.

Here's my Facebook information:

Diana Matthews's Profile Create Your Badge


Now MySpace is slightly different. I'm just not as enamored with it. There's less control over customization, and it, to me at least, feels slightly 'trashier.' I know that is kind of harsh, but I liken Facebook to Target and MySpace to Wal-Mart. Target is more upscale and has nicer selections, while Wal-Mart usually falls on the seedier side, and their crime is through the roof! It's very difficult to search for people, and because MySpace allows people to custom design their profiles, it's full of eye-popping pink glitter and neon backgrounds that make it really difficult to read anything. It's also not very well organized. While I do have a MySpace profile, I don't really visit it that often. My library has a MySpace also, but it's fallen into disrepair. Maybe I should check up on it... Libraries do have a bigger presence on MySpace, with more profiles. I wonder if this is because many are public libraries that have large teen populations, and it seems high school students gravitate toward MySpace over Facebook?