Facebook is a leading social networking site with over 300 million members. There are now many Facebook applications that allow it be used productively in education and business.
 

Website	www.facebook.com
Cost	Free
Availability	Online
2007 ranking	17=
2008 ranking	24
2009 ranking	31=
Social Media In Learning resources	Intro to social Networking Comparison of Facebook, Ning and Elgg Facebook reading list
Directory Listings	Social networks and networking tools Facebook apps

Comments from some of those who selected it as one of their Top 10 Tools in 2009

• the place for links, updates, chat, sharing, collecting opinions, professional and social networking Maria de los Angeles Castro

•  learn from your friends Martin Schlichte

• can't imagine life without it! Like most other universities, facebook is a tool we must use since that is where our students are. We used it to good effect last year to help support new students and make sure they had easy access to the information they needed for their first weeks. But issues around privacy remain a concern and so we have recently launched an Elgg social learning platform which will allow us to offer learners the benefits of a secure space. Sarah Frame

• I use it almost daily online and via my iPhone to learn what my nearly 300 contacts –family, friends, and business contacts – are up to. I learn about and from other people by following links they post that they find interesting; by seeing how they feel about news stories; etc. Gabe Anderson

Comments from those who selected it as one of their Top 10 Tools in 2008

• "I was reluctant to add this one but this is where I keep up with what my kids are doing. I am amazed at the number of times they get tagged in picture albums. Their whole adolescent history is being documented in photographs on Facebook. Not that they always want me to see." Steve Rayson

• "provides easy communication with students and colleagues, and private communication in groups" Pat Parslow

• "mainly for my salsa students to keep in touch with other fans worldwide. I add links to salsa music videos and other resources, publicise social events by other promoters: creates a great “club” atmosphere. But I ban most applications – they are just irritating! I have not yet incorporated into my university teaching…..but I think the day is coming!" Jane Challinor

• "I have been using Facebook as my primary social networking tool." Janet Clarey

• "A very interactive social network with open API for integrating with social software developed by others" Jose Carlos del Arco

• "for sharing information" Rebecca Jones

• "I just like that there is so many things that you can do with it and share things with friends around the world." Karen Ver

• "When training people around the globe, building social connections between learners is critical. Facebook helps learners put a face with a name and learn personal fact about other learners ... a fantastic way to find other people who are interested in what you want to learn. Great places to share ideas." Janice Petosky

• "Still, by far, the undisputed number one. Last year I wrote: “I’ve posted about my love of Facebook before. But look, we teach these technology integration classes and we tell our students to find out what their students have and work from there. Well, where are my college undergrads? Facebook. Since I’ve started requiring my undergrads to add me as a friend, I’ve had more communication with my undergrads. It’s been crazy, actually. Students who NEVER would have gotten a hold of me before, are now writing on my wall just to say, ‘Hey Dr. Curry! What’s up?’ I love it.” John Curry

Comments from those who selected it as one of their Top 10 Tools in 2007

• "social networking with my students, the secret killer app for education" Terry Elliott

• "I've only recently started getting deeper into Facebook, but I've tested just about every other social network, and social network creator, around and Facebook simply has the right formula for what makes for a GREAT social networking experience. I'm hooked." Brent Schlenker

• "It's only been a few weeks, but Facebook has given me a whole new warm and fuzzy feeling. I got a cupcake for my birthday! What could be better than that?" Cammy Bean

• "The thing I like about Facebook is the way it enables my friends and I non-intrusively to monitor each other's discoveries, group affiliations and connections -- and to follow up on those that seem most relevant. More applications should incorporate this ambient social awareness." David Jennings

• "noone in education can afford to ignore this, bearing in mind its explosion in recent months. It brings to life the tensions between private and public in Web 2.0." Frances Bell

• "I’ve recently started exploring this and like the opportunity to get to know more about the ‘person’ behind the blog as well as linking to some shared interest groups." Lynn Wernham

• "an excellent networking site, which I particularly like, because many professional contacts of mine that I know face2face are on Facebook and I enjoy networking online with a mix of people who I know face2face and those I have only 'met' online. There are a lot of interesting and useful groups on Facebook for professional development, and I also use this tool for my courses" Nicole Cargill-Kipar

• "isn’t everyone on this now" Lisa Valentine

• "Great way to keep up with e-learning pros, read about your long lost friends, show off your new wife, learn about a new city, etc. Now that they’ve opened their API, there are tons of useful third party apps. I’ve been able to integrate my “recommended reading” from google reader, my wordpress blog, and flickr photos. Add me as a friend!" Matt Lisle