When Facebook Started: Mark Zuckerberg, 23, founded Facebook while studying psychology at Harvard University. An eager computer programmer, Mr Zuckerberg had actually already developed a variety of social-networking websites for fellow students, including Coursematch, which allowed customers to check out individuals taking their level, and also Facemash, where you can rate individuals's attractiveness.
When Facebook Started
In February 2004 Mr Zuckerberg introduced "The facebook", as it was initially understood; the name taken from the sheets of paper dispersed to freshmen, profiling students as well as personnel. Within 24 hours, 1,200 Harvard pupils had actually subscribed, as well as after one month, over fifty percent of the undergraduate population had an account.
The network was promptly reached various other Boston colleges, the Ivy League and ultimately all United States universities. It became Facebook.com in August 2005 after the address was acquired for $200,000. United States secondary schools can register from September 2005, then it began to spread out worldwide, getting to UK colleges the following month.
As of September 2006, the network was expanded beyond educational institutions to any person with a signed up email address. The website stays free to sign up with, and also makes a profit via advertising and marketing revenue. 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 actually so far refused to offer.
The site's features have remained to develop during 2007. Customers can currently give gifts to buddies, post totally free classified advertisements as well as create their own applications - graffiti and Scrabble are especially preferred.
This month the company introduced that the variety of signed up users had actually reached 30 million, making it the biggest social-networking website with an education and learning focus.
Earlier in the year there were rumours that Royal prince William had actually signed up, however it was later exposed to be a simple impostor. The MP David Miliband, the radio DJ Jo Whiley, the actor Orlando Blossom, the artist Tracey Emin and also the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, are among confirmed high-profile members.
This month officials outlawed a flash-mob-style water fight in Hyde Park, organised via Facebook, because of public safety anxieties. As well as there was even more controversy at Oxford as trainees became aware that university authorities were inspecting their Facebook accounts.
The legal instance versus Facebook dates back to September 2004, when Divya Narendra, and also the bros Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, that founded the social-networking website ConnectU, accused Mr Zuckerberg of copying their ideas and also coding. Mr Zuckerberg had worked as a computer system programmer for them when they were all at Harvard before Facebook was created.
The case was disregarded due to a triviality in March 2007 yet without a judgment.
