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   Facebook, an extremely popular social network Web site for college students, recently became open to students at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. 

   The site launched Feb. 4, 2004, and since then, 85 percent of students attending supported colleges have created a profile. Today the site plays host to 3.85 million members.  

   “Facebook is like a drug,” sophomore Caswanna Allen said. “I can't even study in the library without checking it to see if I have any new messages. I love it! It's the best thing invented so far.” 

   Sixty percent of members log in daily; about 85 percent log in at least once a week and 93 percent log in at least once a month, according to an interview TechCrunch conducted with Chris Hughes, a member of the site’s staff team. 

   Senior Christin McCoy Singleton said Facebook had given her the chance to meet people from UAM. 

   “I am a student, but my classes are at night (CIV) and on the Internet,” she said. “You do not get the true ‘college experience’ this way. With this (Facebook), I have been able to meet other people from my school, and now I don't feel like just another number at the school.” 

   Although Facebook currently only supports 882 of the roughly 2,000 colleges in the United States, they plan for it to eventually support all of them. 

   After joining with an .edu college e-mail address, which the site requires, users can provide personal and descriptive information about themselves, create photo albums and add friends. 

   Users can interact with friends, as well as meet new people, in several different ways. They can send them messages, write on their “wall” or “poke” them. 

   First-year student Emily Funderburg said she loved Facebook because it allowed her to stay connected with her classmates as well as people that graudated before her. 

   “It also allows me to meet new people at my school and updates me on things coming up on campus,” she said.

   Users can also form or join groups such as organizational groups and groups of common interest. For example, some of the most popular groups at UAM include “UAM Voice,” “Broke Ass College Students” and “So What If I’m a Boll Weevil.”

   Sophomore Brian Rauls said he now had 300 students at his finger tips through groups.

   “I feel that Facebook empowers me to better ‘be heard’ and also allows me to stay in touch with old high school classmates, as well as college students we meet on debate circuits.”

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