On Thursday, Nov. 2, Hillel and the Career Center sponsored an event called “Facebook Revolution.â€? Ezra Callahan, Facebook’s senior products manager, spoke about the startup, expansion, controversies and future of Facebook.
“The goal of Facebook is to maximize the flowing of information, which may sound cheesy…. We’re interested in pushing the communication with people you are in close proximity with…people [with whom] you have some shared background,� said Callahan.
Facebook, one of the fastest growing online directories that connects people through social networks, now reaches over 10 million users.
The Web site was originally founded as “thefacebook” in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard University, with the help of Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. The Web site’s popularity continued to grow with advertising revenue. Zuckerberg and Moskovitz dropped out of Harvard to run Facebook fulltime, and Hughes remained in school to work as the site’s spokesperson.
“His roommates helped launch the site,� said Callahan. “They decided to launch at other universities and realized they had something good.�
By the end of 2004, some 200,000 people had joined Facebook and the site had spread to 32 colleges. Less than a year later the Web site had grown to include over 800 colleges.
Facebook was constantly updating features and drawing criticism for just about every new feature being added, much like the recent newsfeed hysteria. Allowing high school students to join the website also ignited fury among Facebook users, but Callahan was quick to point out that only .1 percent of users can see your profile and that “by default your profile is only visible to your network.�
Callahan also said alumni make up a large majority of users. Initially the site targeted 18- to 24-year-olds in college, but opening Facebook to other users makes it possible to reach out to those who aren’t in college and are likely to have friends who use Facebook. This does not, however, imply that anyone will be able to see a given profile.
“Restricting… allows you to decide who can see what,� Callahan said. He suggested that users utilize control features in the privacy settings so that they can choose what people can and cannot see.
“People flipped out when the comment box was added,� Callahan joked. He noted that at the same time, “People were begging for their schools to be added.�
Advertisements keep Facebook up and running. When asked if Facebook sells user information Callahan said, “Facebook isn’t selling your information. We are very sensitive to people’s needs.� Apparently the only circumstance in which information is released is if Facebook is subpoenaed, and those cases are very rare. “Third parties will not capture your information,� Callahan assured.
On March 28, 2006, BusinessWeek reported a possible acquisition of the Facebook website. According to BusinessWeek, Facebook declined an offer of $750 million and began asking for $2 billion. The idea that a two-year-old Web site started by college sophomores could sell for such a price ignited enormous debate and speculation.
“Mark is in no rush to sell,� said Callahan. “He is interested in developing the site further.�