Long long ago, there was Orkut, Hi5 and MySpace. Somehow, none of them stuck quite the way Facebook did. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild has done way more than just stick around, it changed the way we connect with people.
It’s not only for frivolous stalking. Even if you’d like to quit the website, you can’t. How else would you log onto your Soundcloud, Pinterest, Tumblr or Spotify? Facebook’s made sure its got us entwined in a tight web.
Even though we’ve being using it for years, there are certain facts about Facebook none of us know. Here is the list of things you should know about Facebook, which you probably don’t:
1. You Can Calculate the Time You’ve Wasted on Facebook.
Yes, it’s addictive. And yes, most of the time you’re wasting hours checking out who your ex-girlfriend is hanging out with these days. I think we all can agree that we can survive without the information Facebook gives us. But since we’ve already established that quitting is not an option, you can check out this tool, developed by Time magazine, which counts the days of your life you’ve wasted on Facebook. A perfect reminder to restrict your time on the site.
2. Facebook has 1.28 billion Active Users
For most, it’s become a daily addiction. You’ve just woken up, sleepy and bleary eyed, you’re already checking your notifications or you click on your browser to check your emails, but before you know it, you’re scanning your news feed to see if anyone has done anything exciting. Sounds familiar? Clicking on the blue icon has become a reflex action.
3. Facebook has a 100 million active users in India
And 84 percent of those users access the site via their smart phones. These numbers were announced on 31st March 2014. Facebook’s biggest competitor is its very own WhatsApp, which has more than 40 million registered users in the subcontinent.
4. There is a Reason Facebook is Blue
A lot of you may already know this one, but the reason is that Mark Zuckerberg, the Founder and CEO of Facebook, is colorblind. Zuckerberg sees the color blue best, because of his red–green color blindness.
5. Facebook is currently blocked in 4 countries
There are bouts of the site being blocked off and on in several countries. North Korea, China, Iran, Syria, Vietnam have held on to the blockage for a long time.
6.Despite being blocked, China has about 63.5 million Facebook users
When there is a will, there is a way. Although, Facebook is very much blocked by the Great China Firewall, formally known as the Golden Shield Project, a surprising report gave whopping number of registered users in China.
7. You Can Schedule Status Updates on Facebook
Download Hootsuite and it will allow you to schedule posts ahead of time. So you could be sharing content even while you’re relaxing or if you’re busy with some other activity.
8. Viacom, MySpace,Yahoo and NBC Have All Tried to Buy Facebook
In the past ten years, according to David Kirkpatrick’s book The Facebook Effect, 11 companies have tried to acquire this social media giant. Makes us wonder, where would the website be if Mark Zuckerberg had given in and handed it over?
9. Facebook Has Spent a Total of 22billion on Acquisitions
Instagram, WhatsApp and now, Oculus are only three of the 45 companies that Facebook owns. Facebook has spent a total of 22billion on acquisitions. Some of the other acquired companies include Snaptu, Little Eye Labs, Face.com and Friendster Patents.
10. Mark Zuckerberg is the Youngest Self-Made Billionaire
Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard shortly after he came up with the idea of Facebook and now his net worth is 28.5 billion dollars. According to Forbes, Facebook’s shares are up more than 130% over the past year. That’s caused Zuck’s net worth to more than double over the same period, even after he gave away 18 million shares in late December.
