FACEBOOK is a social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. [1] Since September 2006, anyone over the age of 13 with a valid e-mail address can become a Facebook user. Facebook's target audience is more for youths than adults. [1] Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by workplace, school, or college. The website's name stems from the colloquial name of books given to students at the start of the academic year by university administrations in the US with the intention of helping students to get to know each other better. [1]

EMPLOYMENT

Employers and Companies (such as Virgin Airlines) have also used Facebook as a means to keep tabs on their employees and have even been known to fire them over posts they've made. [1]

LEGISLATION

Serving Legal Notices

In December 2008, the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory ruled that Facebook is a valid protocol to serve court notices to defendants. It is believed to be the world's first legal judgement that defines a summons posted on Facebook as legally binding. [1|4]

In March 2009, the New Zealand High Court associate justice David Glendall allowed for the serving of legal papers on Craig Axe by the company Axe Market Garden via Facebook. [1]

POPULARITY

Facebook has more than 400 million active users, of which more than 50% login daily, where they spend more than 500 billion minutes per month. The average user has 130 friends. [5]

Addiction

Facebook addiction have become a serious problem. Fortunately there is a solution - "facebook suicide" [3] (the closing down of a facebook account). "Facebook suicide is the leading cause of deleted accounts in all of social networking". [3]

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Facebook (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 9 May 2010)

2. EJ Hill (Facebook Profile; 9 May 2010)

3. Facebook Suicide (G4TV: YouTube Video; 9 May 2010)

4. Noel Towell. Lawyers to serve notices on Facebook (BizTech; 16 December 2008)

5. Facebook Statistics (Facebook; 9 May 2010)

For more information, please visit Facebook.