Facebook 'for keeping friends, not making friends'

1st May 2008

Social media site Facebook views itself as a service that complements existing friendships, rather than a facility that helps users form new relationships, one expert has said.

Rachel Hawkes, co-founder and editor of Social Media Portal, commented that the company's introduction of Facebook Chat illustrates its commitment to the former definition.

The new application does not suggest that Facebook wants to follow Google in its steady expansion into different areas of the web, maintained Ms Hawkes.

It is merely a "natural progression" for a social networking site, she said.

Hitwise and Experian recently released a report suggesting that companies cannot afford to ignore social networks' influence, which is set to increase over the course of 2008.

"Facebook likes to be seen as a social utility, rather than a network – what this means is that their aim is to help people connect and communicate more efficiently with the people they already know, as opposed to locating new friends and social groups based around a particular interest area," commented the expert.