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Facebook fever grips SA
14/06/2007 08:42 - (SA)
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).
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