Facebook turns 10: What’s changed?
On this day in 2004 Facebook was created in a Harvard dorm room by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his roommates as a way to connect college students. Well, 10 years and 1.23 billion users later, it’s become much more than that.
BYU-Idaho students Jacqueline Wiscombe and Brook Patterson said they’ve been using Facebook for almost seven years.
“I, at least, get on it once a day,” said Wiscombe.
The site’s layout has changed time and time again, but the most noticeable difference? Everybody and their mom has it … literally.
“A lot of old people use it now, whereas when I was younger it was all just kids in middle school and high school,” said Patterson. “My friends’ parents have it now, so I’m friends with them.”
Facebook has now gone beyond just connecting people. The Idaho Falls Animal Shelter attributes most of its adoptions to its Facebook page with over 9,000 “likes.” The shelter’s manager Irene Brown said every day people come in for dogs they’ve seen on Facebook.
“In fact, we just actually adopted out three dogs to a couple in Jackson, Wyo., this morning, who came in because of what they saw on Facebook,” said Brown.
The social network even helped save one dog’s life. Angel was brought in with the lethal parvovirus. But, because of a Facebook post, the animal shelter received enough donations to pay for treatment it usually doesn’t have funding for.
“Within three hours we had enough money to send her to the vet and get her fixed,” said Brown.
For BYU-Idaho graduate Caitlin Kunz, Facebook is fueling her online clothing store, Caitlin’s Closet.
“Eighty-five percent of our sales comes from our Facebook page,” said Kunz.
That page offers giveaways and promo codes, which often translates into sales.
“They feel like they’re getting a special deal or a special discount every time we post something on there,” said Kunz. “We can actually track those to see who’s actually using those or buying, so it’s been awesome to see how those have actually converted into sales.”
