Facebook‘s changed a lot from the online university student community it was in 2004.  It used to be that you joined, selected what classes you were taking–or a bunch of silly, fake classes as was the case for some of us–and then found other people in your classes to ask for homework assignments.  Clearly, it’s transitioned into a social application for everyone. I still remember the outcry when it was announced that Facebook would open itself up to people not currently enrolled in university, “oh my gosh, everyone will be able to see me and stalk me now… even, gasp, non-college-students!”  The same outcry that’s gone up every time something has radically changed at Facebook.  I’ve been waiting all this time, as someone who’s been active in “online communities” of sorts since online communities consisted of dialing your 2400 baud modem into a Bulletin Board System and leaving a note for whomever dialed in next, to watch Facebook (and others) initiate people into a realm that used to be for enthusiasts only.  It’s funny to hear people call fads, like “25 random things about me” or “use song titles to describe yourself,”  Facebook fads, when I remember taking part in those via email chain letters in 1995, and then again in blog posts in a sort of redux at the height of blogging-as-personal-journal in 2002. Continue Reading →