Scroll down for some AU numbers from thefacebook.com
Since February, college students across the United States have found a new way to meet each other. Thefacebook (www.thefacebook.com), a free online directory, lets people with .edu e-mail addresses register to connect with college professors or old friends from high school, or to simply browse through other members' profiles.
There's a catch to the Web site - only colleges listed on the site's home page are part of its network, so students at schools that are not on the list can't join until their school is added.
AU was admitted to the online directory this month, and already more than 900 students have joined the site.
Cait Douglas, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, heard about Thefacebook through the AU Live Journal Community. The site's popularity is especially rampant in the residence halls.
"I would say about half the kids on my floor have [a profile]," she said.
Thefacebook is divided into several main categories. Each member's homepage contains a sidebar that gives him or her the option to update personal information, add photographs, search for people and other options. One of the most popular aspects of the site is the option for members to find other students through the high schools they attended.
Allison Redisch, a sophomore in SIS, has even contacted friends from middle school using the site.
The site is not limited to undergraduates. Graduate students, alumni and faculty can create profiles, although far more undergrads have signed up for Thefacebook (923 undergraduates compared to 18 grads, as of press time). This is similar to the statistics on the AU Icebreaker Web site, www.auicebreaker.com, which also aims to introduce students. On the Icebreaker site, begun this summer by two AU seniors, only 40 of the nearly 200 members are graduate students.
As a whole, the AU community has been responding positively to Thefacebook.
"A few people are saying it's stupid and a popularity contest, but even a lot of them seem to be doing it anyway," Redisch said. "I was really surprised at how quickly [Thefacebook] has caught on with everyone."
But some students are wary of Thefacebook. Jared Hall, a senior in CAS, refuses to join the online community.
"I was reading a listserv, and someone said, 'Join thefacebook.com,' and then there was a response saying it was a money scheme or something," Hall said. "I just stopped wasting my time with those things."
He attributes Thefacebook's popularity to something other than entertainment. Most of those Web sites where you have to fill out information about yourself are just excuses to procrastinate, he said.
Thefacebook has been steadily gaining popularity at schools across the country since its debut earlier this year.
Cassie Lancellotti-Young, a senior at Duke University, joined the second day her school was added to the site in April.
"[Thefacebook is] exceptionally popular," she said. "Actually, I would say that it's kind of socially unacceptable if you're not a member."
While she and her friends enjoy using the Web site to check out other student's profiles, Lancellotti-Young said Thefacebook also has academic advantages.
"I think it's a good resource for classes; it makes getting in contact with new people (via e-mail or Instant Message) very easy," she said. "A few professors are also on Thefacebook and have funny profiles."
Aside from its social and academic advantages, Thefacebook served as a way for incoming freshman to meet each other before the semester began, said Lancellotti-Young. She believes, however, that the Web site should not be used to judge a person's character.
"I don't think you really get a true reflection of someone's personality, but I suppose if you're coming in as a freshman and know no one, it's not a bad idea," Lancellotti-Young said. "It's a nice way to meet hallmates and such."
Douglas agrees.
"I think this might help the freshman class meet each other, but I also think it's kind of an entertainment thing," she said.
Will Thefacebook retain its popularity as the semester goes on, or is it doomed to be banished to the bottom of Internet Explorer's "Favorites" list? Douglas has mixed feelings about it.
"I don't think it's just a trend, but I don't think Thefacebook will continue for many years to come."
thefacebook.com by AU numbers
923 undergraduate students have profiles 18 graduate students have profiles 9 alumni have profiles 0 faculty and staff members have profiles 213 members are freshmen 301 members are sophomores 134 members are juniors 73 members are seniors 202 members did not specify their year 504 members are female 256 members are male 163 members did not specify their gender
