Facebook fever grips SA

2007-06-14 08:42

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Cathryn Reece

Cape Town - South Africans have embraced the internet social networking revolution, with over 50 000 new users signing on to the local Facebook network.

The Facebook "South Africa" network currently has over 87 000 members - up from 35 000 in May.

Facebook.com is "a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them". Launched in 2004 as a website for Harvard college students, it currently boasts over 25 million members worldwide.

When a user registers on the site, they are given a blank profile page which they can update with their personal information and are encouraged to join a network. Members can then search the site for their friends and link up to each other, re-creating their social circle on the internet.

The name of the site is taken from the paper facebooks that US colleges give to incoming students showing members of the campus community.

While there's little demographical information on South African's using Facebook, members are encouraged to list basic personal information and their favourite things.

Thirty-nine percent of members of the South African Facebook network are listed as single, while 28% are listed as "in a relationship". Males comprise 45% of the network, females 40% and 15% prefer not to say.

Snow Patrol, The Killers and Jack Johnson are listed as the network's top three favourite bands; Snatch, Fight Club and 300 the top three favourite movies; and Prison Break, CSI and Lost the top three favourite TV shows.

Fifty-five percent of the network chose not to list any political views on their profiles but list music, reading and movies as their top three activities.

Some of the more popular activities and posts on the South African network include "The facebook-wide food fight", "click to let me tickle you", the facebook "fortune cookie" application and the facebook "honesty box".

Local South African organisations are also using Facebook as a marketing tool. Cape Town-based The Independent Armchair Theatre uses the site to promote upcoming events.

The social networking phenomenon first caught on with South Africans in the form of MySpace.com, but local internet users seem to be following the worldwide trend of belonging to more than one social network at a time.

Facebook has recently introduced advertising and allows members to "poll" Facebook users on any topic for only $6 (about R43).

- News24

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Facebook isn`t all that the media makes it out to be. I think it`s merely that the public doesn`t know any better. Facebook, compared to other social networking websites, is very dull in what a user can do. The other alternative is the HUGELY popular Myspace, which has over 180 million users from around the world. With Myspace, a user can create their own "website" with whatever features they desire i.e change the font colour, add graphics, change the wallpaper. In short, don`t facebook!

What I like about it is the fact the their is no discrimination on who gets to use it - unlike some site's and being here in London it has helped me to connect with my friends in South Africa pretty "live" everyday and they dont seem so far.....

I agree with the first comment. Myspace is so much better. You get your own website, with it`s own URL, so people thats not on Myspace can even view your profile. The choices of what you can do in Facebook is very limited and Facebook is like Myspace for Dummies! Any band or movie is on Myspace + millions of other users from SA. Facbook fever? No, more like Facebook nausea!

Myspace allows the user more freedom to personalise the page. But it's also more complicated to do so. I have accounts on both and enjoy using both, but facebook is the simpler option. It's also much easier to add photos to facebook than myspace. I can't choose just one!

Myspace is more customizable, but that is where the problem lies. Most people have no idea what to do with that kind of creative freedom. Black background with black text is just one example. I don't even want to start with the spam element. Myspace is dying...deal with it

I registered on Friday last week, it has gone crazy since then. Everybody seems to be talking about it. It is perhaps a passing fad but at the moment from what i see it is spreading like wild fire! I'm just waiting for my work to block it!

There is a big difference between Facebook and My Space. My Space seems to be more marketing related and not very user friendly. It needs time to compose. Facebook on the other hand is very easy to set up profiles, etc. I've got both and don't even bother with My Space anymore. The younger generation (I live in Stellenbosch) catch on easier to Facebook

So in essence "Ben" is saying that people that use Facebook are uncreative, simple minded people who can`t use a pre-made Myspace layout or use one of the many Myspace editors freely available on the net. The numbers speak for themselve, Myspace have over 180 million users and started in 2001 and Facebook only manages to get 25 million. Simply by looking at the statistics, Myspace is more popular and will always be. Regarding the spam, Myspace has implemented tighter security and spam is gone.