Facebook: Love it or loathe it?

Social networking is evolving, sprouting, budding, developing, moving... Well whatever you may wish to call it, it’s like chalk and cheese of how it was just a decade ago. First Friendster, then it was MySpace; now Facebook seems to be the heart of every other conversation on the Internet.

Facebook is currently the 7th most visited website in the world, has nearly 40 million viewers and as a nation we are spending 233 million hours scouring the site every month. Yes to the undoubted growth and the hype, but one sits and ponders: what's in it for journalism?

Facebook has in due course become a leading social networking incentive. What journalist does not have a network of sources? What Facebook enables us to do is make it easy to expand this network and to send and receive messages to and from an entire network. Indeed social networks have been key to journalists forever.

As a response to cost-cutting measures or perhaps as a salacious tactic journalists have become increasingly attentive to this invaluable this social networking tool. According to recent news not only have newspapers cobbled together accounts, particularly involving crime stories, from data contained on the parties' profiles on social networking sites. But have decided to take the world of Facebook Journalism to another level. The BBC's Newsnight program has created two Facebook groups to gather contacts for reporters and to build closer viewer relations. Stories such as “Giuliani's daughter 'backs Obama”, Huntley tries to off himself, Cop killer Facebook group lands teen in trouble, Shoplifters busted on Facebook, elucidate just how much impact facebook has had on Journalism.

Facebook can also be credited for the way in which it has brought journalists together. The NUJ (National Union of Journalists) group on Facebook has 912 members whilst Journalism.co.uk has 1,202. Additionally, a group titled ‘Journalists and Facebook’ that discusses this so called ‘Facebook Journalism’ has proved immensely popular with those discussing their experiences.

What’s more it could also prove to be a very useful tool for writers and editors alike, looking to connect with fellow workers they do not yet know. It seems that some news organizations are working to apply the power of social networking (a phenomenon that group member Robin Sloan called "social context") to the distribution of news content. In its recent Web site redesign, USA Today included a feature that enables each reader to build a personal page, track news stories, aggregate comments and invite people as friends. The Minneapolis Star Tribune launched vita.mn, an arts and entertainment Web site that depends on the so-called audience for most of its content. The Mail & Guardian in South Africa took its content to Facebook when it launched a "headlines" application last week. (Poynter Online's Amy Gahran wrote about this and other Facebook news applications Wednesday.)

Another mindbogging reality is the impact that this phenomenon has had on student protests and activists. It has been reported that a viral campaign that spiraled through the social networking site has forced HSBC into a humiliating U-turn over its decision to scrap interest-free overdrafts for university graduates. The pressure group launched by the National Union of Students (NUS) and titled "Stop the Great HSBC Graduate Rip-off!!!" had amassed almost 7,000 members since its creation in mid-July, and its founder, NUS Vice President for Education Wes Streeting, credited the collective online protest forcing HSBC to back down.

There can be no doubt that using Facebook made the world of difference to our
campaign,” he said in a statement.

Undoubtedly Facebook has been a hit, but is it just the greatest and latest in a continuing evolution of social networking Web sites in which the previous incarnation is quickly forgotten? It's hard to say, but with the continuous release of new Facebook applications it seems like Facebook's role in our online lives can continue to evolve as well. Love it or loathe it, it doesn't look like Facebook is going anywhere soon.