How Facebook pulled me in

Like most young adults, I had a MySpace long before I had a Facebook account. I was invited to join Facebook by a girl I went to school with in Paris last summer. Ashley, a student in Michigan, started a group for those of us attending the International Studies Abroad program in Paris and invited everyone to join. I reluctantly joined, as I had no friends on there.
I met all of my future classmates on our “ISA Paris Summer Abroad 2007” group. It was an incredible experience. We were able to introduce ourselves, talk about class schedules, travel plans and concerns, and where to find some of the random art supplies we needed. I bonded with a girl Alex from Brooklyn who shared my same schedule and living arrangement. As my time spent on Facebook began to grow, my time spent on MySpace dwindled. Facebook provided me an outlet to connect with people who were sharing the same experience as I was.
Almost a year after my summer abroad, Facebook is still the main form of communication between all of my friends I made while studying in Paris. My best friends from Paris and I talk every week through a “thread” on Facebook. Threads allow all of us to have a continuous and private conversation. Facebook is our cyber meeting place.

The groups on Facebook provide a platform for people to meet, discuss and spend time. Unlike MySpace, it seems that Facebook has created a forum that connects users, not just by being friends, but by interests, colleges, and cities. As Facebook continues to grow and become more popular, MySpace users will continue to follow the masses to Facebook. That is, until the next wave of social networking is created.