Apr 09 2009
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“ Think about the ways you communicate with your friends—whether on or off Facebook. The communication likely falls into one of two traditional types: reciprocal communication or direct communication. Reciprocal communication is a conversation where messages are exchanged back and forth. This can include talking on the telephone, or on Facebook it can mean a Wall-to-Wall exchange or real-time chat. Direct communication occurs when you send a message to someone specific, with or without the expectation of a reply. It can be a one-way Inbox message or Wall post on Facebook, or sending an old fashioned letter or an e-mail. On Facebook, there’s a third and new way you communicate—through the stream. Every time you log into your home page you see a running timeline or stream of the information being shared by your friends and the other things you’re connected with on Facebook. The more people share, the more you see in the stream and the more you learn about your connections. This stream communication, rather than reciprocal and direct communication, forms your active network. Whenever you interact with a story in the stream—whether you “Like” a piece of content, comment on it or simply click on it—the person sharing it becomes part of your active network. When our Data Team measured active networks for users on Facebook, it found that, in any given month, users keep up with between 2 times and 4 times more people than through more traditional communication.
