the promise of facebook

(SOCS300)

"Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life" (facebook.com homepage)

It is amazing to see the rapid growth of such a site, the tools it offers, the ability to reconnect with friends worldwide.  Shirky's model of promise, tool and bargain is well demonstrated with facebook.  It's truly become a popular platform for sharing and keeping up in a number of social circles, friends, family and colleagues within the workplace and study.  The promise it makes to connect with others is profoundly effective.  Ultimately it's success lies in the fact that it is super user-friendly, is used world wide, is regulated and controllable in terms of privacy settings, and appeals to all ages.  Constant references are made to this site, within the news and daily conversations.  The content of a user profile is individually chosen/postd, and evolves over time with experience.  It is a live experience that is constantly changing.  This is where facebook as a tool is also strong.  Connections are made, email messages are exchanged and a communication platform is enabled, not only person to person, but also to the wider audience, as far reaching as the internet when setting content to public access.  Sharing of photos, news, links, contact information (even with real time capabilities through mobile devices) creates a social media platform that realizes capabilities otherwise divided through a variety of tools.  Each profile, group, fan page, event that is posted establishes a centralized place to communicate and connect.  Through its applications development and targeted advertising opportunities, the bargaining factor is quite simple.. "it's free and anyone can join".