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Facebook Across the WebYesterday

Over the summer we announced an extension of Facebook Platform called Facebook Connect. Facebook Connect makes it easier for you to take your online identity with you all over the Web, share what you do online with your friends and stay updated on what they're doing. You won't have to create separate accounts for every website, just use your Facebook login wherever Connect is available.

Starting today, you'll see prompts for Facebook Connect at websites across the Internet and have the opportunity to take your Facebook profile information, friends and privacy preferences to your favorite sites.
If you've used the early versions of Connect on Citysearch, CNN's The Forum or CBS' The Insider, this will already look pretty familiar.



For example, you can use Facebook Connect with the reviews website, Citysearch. You can easily log in using your Facebook account, and from there, you'll be able to interact with all of your Facebook friends. They'll be able to see some of the same profile information they can see on Facebook, which is fully controlled by your privacy settings. When you write a review for a restaurant, you'll have the option to publish that stor

Food for Thought: Facebook's Biggest Energy SourceDecember 2

Recently, we asked ourselves what Facebook's biggest energy source is. Initially, we assumed it was the electricity needed to power our servers and network, but after some consideration, it turns out to be the daily input of the more than 120 million active users -- including you -- who create the content that defines our site.

The Internet is constantly reminding us of the sheer power of "people-powered" systems, drawing their strength from the active involvement of their participants. Clay Shirky, a scholar and author, has long written about this effect in areas as wide-ranging as government, education, media and entertainment.

One day while the Facebook data team was considering the full sweep of people's engagement with Facebook, we wondered what it actually takes to power the people who power our service. People spend an aggregate of more than 2 billion minutes on Facebook each day, contributing content and staying in touch with their friends and families and typically spend between 1 and 2 calories per minute while resting at their computers.



This means that it takes at least 2 billion calories per day to generate all of Facebook's content. That's equivalent to 35 million carrots, or, if you prefer a sweeter snack, 17 million bowls of Frosted Flakes.


Cameron Marlow, a research scientist at

Around the World in 80 millisecondsDecember 1

We've talked before about the massive amount of data running through Facebook's systems. We have Lexicon to help visualize what people are talking about on the site, but we don't yet have any similar, graphics-driven way to show the site's constant activity and connections. Taking a break from my normal job (if dealing with Facebook's massive scalability challenges counts as normal) at the most recent hackathon, I decided to brush off my graphics abilities and work on something more visual.

I focused on a project known as Palantir. We're still experimenting with it, but the idea is to show Facebook in action, with people's interactions speeding across a computer model of the earth, as if friend requests, messages or photo-sharing exchanges were bursts of light or airplanes flying to their destinations.

Palantir was started at a previous hackathon with basic visualizations for actions. After an all-night coding binge, the framework now has the potential to visualize many kinds of data: social interaction, the effectiveness of the Facebook advertising model, or even actions in your own network of friends.

It's also another example of our commitment to using open-source so

Shoppers: On your mark, get set, go!November 28

Black Friday, the unofficial start to the U.S. holiday shopping frenzy, is here. Shopaholics are waking up at dawn to get to the best sales of the year. Reports show that Black Friday sales are up amid the financial downturn.

The shopping buzz extends everywhere –- ads in magazines and billboards, websites dedicated to finding the best sales and of course, Facebook. Just as Facebook helps you connect with the people you care about and share information, you can also use Facebook during the holidays to get the most out of your shopping experience.

Become a fan of your favorite stores to get news about sales and special events, create an event around a shopping trip and invite your friends or update your status to tell your friends about a great sale you spotted or a recent purchase. You can also join one of dozens of Facebook groups for people who love Black Friday or give your friends a Facebook shopping gift.

Many of your favorite retailers, including Dell, eBay and Sephora are offering free shopping gifts in the Facebook gift shop. They range from shopping bags to ribbon-wrapped gift boxes and computers.

Happy Thanksgiving!November 27

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. This year I won't be going home to spend the holiday with my family, but I will be chatting with them on Facebook.

Recently, my parents joined Facebook. My mom and dad have been setting up their profile and learning about the site. Of course, this has required some help from me and my brother and my step-sisters and my cousins and…well, the whole family. But we're all pretty excited that we can now communicate with my parents on Facebook. My mom and dad are even happier that they can share photos with us, send messages and read about what we're up to in their News Feed.

My parents aren't the only ones joining Facebook—so are their friends. In fact, their age group represents one of our fastest growing demographics. As a Product Manager on the Growth team, I've been excited to see a significant increase in people my parents' age joining Facebook over the past year, both in the US and abroad. Facebook is for everyone and as the site grows, people—including my parents—can connect with more of their friends and family, no matter where they are. Facebook is even more important to me now that my parents are my Facebook friends.

So, this Thanksgiving, instead of having a Turkey dinner with my family, I'll just have to do with sending them one.


Naomi Gleit, Product Manager on Growth, is staying close despite being far awa