Year Facebook Was Founded: Mark Zuckerberg, 23, founded Facebook while examining psychology at Harvard University. An eager computer system designer, Mr Zuckerberg had currently created a variety of social-networking websites for fellow students, consisting of Coursematch, which allowed users to view people taking their level, and also Facemash, where you might rate people's attractiveness.
Year Facebook Was Founded
In February 2004 Mr Zuckerberg released "The facebook", as it was initially understood; the name taken from the sheets of paper dispersed to freshers, profiling trainees as well as staff. Within 24 hours, 1,200 Harvard pupils had actually signed up, and after one month, over fifty percent of the undergraduate populace had a profile.
The network was promptly encompassed various other Boston colleges, the Ivy Organization and eventually all US universities. It became Facebook.com in August 2005 after the address was purchased for $200,000. United States secondary schools might subscribe from September 2005, then it started to spread out worldwide, getting to UK colleges the following month.
Since September 2006, the network was extended past universities to anyone with a registered email address. The site stays free to sign up with, and also makes a profit through marketing income. Yahoo and Google are among firms which have actually revealed interest in a buy-out, with rumoured figures of around $2bn (₤ 975m) being discussed. Mr Zuckerberg has so far chosen not to offer.
The site's features have actually remained to create throughout 2007. Customers can currently offer presents to friends, blog post free classified advertisements and even develop their very own applications - graffiti as well as Scrabble are specifically popular.
This month the company announced that the number of registered users had gotten to 30 million, making it the largest social-networking website with an education focus.
Previously in the year there were rumours that Prince William had registered, yet it was later disclosed to be a mere impostor. The MP David Miliband, the radio DJ Jo Whiley, the actor Orlando Blossom, the musician Tracey Emin and the creator of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, are amongst confirmed high-profile members.
This month officials banned a flash-mob-style water fight in Hyde Park, organised via Facebook, due to public safety and security anxieties. And there was better controversy at Oxford as trainees realised that university authorities were checking their Facebook profiles.
The lawful situation against Facebook go back to September 2004, when Divya Narendra, and the bros Cameron as well as Tyler Winklevoss, that started the social-networking site ConnectU, charged Mr Zuckerberg of duplicating their suggestions and also coding. Mr Zuckerberg had functioned as a computer designer for them when they were all at Harvard before Facebook was created.
The case was dismissed because of a triviality in March 2007 yet without a judgment.
