Staying connected in the modern age has become simple, especially with the help of social networking sites like Facebook.  However, if you are still wondering what is Facebook used for, you will be amazed at all the functions that it performs.

Answering What Is Facebook?

Facebook allows you to create a profile adding your interests, favorite music, television shows, movies, quotes, and much more.  You can post photos and videos that your Facebook friends can comment on.  When creating a profile, you designate a network that you belong to.  This network can be a school, city, or job, which gives you the ability to add people in your area that you know as “friends”.  Other fun activities that can be done through Facebook are taking interesting quizzes, playing games, sending gifts, and poking friends. 

History

For those wondering, what is Facebook all about; you should first understand how it got started.  At Harvard University, Mark Zuckerberg first started a site known as Facemash, which had pictures side by side and allowed people to vote on who was hotter.  He hacked into Harvard’s database and used the pictures from dormitory ID cards as the photos on the site.  It spread quickly, but was shut down by the administration at Harvard. 

Then Zuckerberg created The Facebook in 2004 as an “online yearbook” for Harvard students.  It became immensely popular and spread like wildfire once it was open to other Ivy League schools like Yale, Columbia, and Stanford.  Later in 2004, it became usable by all college students in the US.  By 2005, the company moved its operations to California and changed its name to Facebook.  Later in 2005, high school students could use the service and in 2006, anyone older than 13 could have a Facebook account.

Personal Uses

Facebook provides endless functionality for users to use and have fun with.  It is a great place to share photos and videos with friends.  Also, it allows a number of different ways to communicate with other users, including an instant messenger.  Users can take different unique quizzes or even create their own quizzes to pass onto their friends.  Users can also join groups for any and all possible interests.  Thousands of applications are also available that work on top of the Facebook platform and enhance the user experience. 

Marketing Uses

If you have a company and are not using Facebook as a marketing tool, you must be asking yourself, what is Facebook and how is it useable as an advertising tool?  There are many different ways to advertise using Facebook.  One way is by opening a Facebook account for your company and inviting people to become friends of yours.  You can offer them special deals and give updates through your status.  Another way to market is by creating a group for your company that people can join and become fans of.  Creating an application that works on the Facebook platform is the most difficult option, but has endless possibilities.