Technology is changing all the time. Every time we turn around, there is a new way to get in touch with each other- the telephone, e-mail, cell phones, text messaging, and countless others. In many ways, these changes are for the better, especially in an office setting. IM is easier than walking to a colleague's desk, and e-mail is more convenient and eco-friendly than sending a paper memo. So if we have already solved all of these problems, why do we need Facebook?
(According to Orlikowski) don't think of Facebook as "just another way" to keep in touch, or else you'll limit yourself to using it for functions you already know about, like e-mail. You'll miss out on the collaborative, interactive nature of the network. With Facebook, not only can you send a friend an asynchronous private message or write on his or her wall, but you can also get some clues as to why he or she has not responded yet. If he or she has a status that reads "I'm on vacation until Thursday!" you will know not to expect an answer until then. While it's true that e-mail has automatic responses, admit it...most of your friends are too lazy to set them. Better yet, after Thursday you can go on to your friend's page to view pictures from the vacation, in stead of having to ask to get them through e-mail. And when it comes time for your family vacation, you don't have to bother sending your own pictures to everyone in the family. They can just log on to Facebook. You only have to upload them once. You can even use IM through Facebook- no more downloading programs that clutter your computer's memory! So, forget everything you thought you knew about staying in touch. If you dwell too much on what you already know in stead of what you can learn, you might miss out on all of the great features of Facebook.
I know it seems like it might take a lot of time to learn all of these features. But even if it does, think about how much time you will save in the future by only having to upload pictures to one place. And this is the same place that you can tell the world what you're up to through your status, chat with a friend across the country, and check to see what your kids are doing at the State University. All of your communication needs are now rolled into one easy package!
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I think it would be definitely appealing to present Facebook as a tool that merges all of the Internet communication that a user needs into one site. This would be a good way to explain Facebook to someone who is trying to juggle cell phones, text messages, IM, email etc. However for an older user that may not see value in all of the new communication channels, I think that framing some of the components of Facebook into technologies that they can grasp is a good way of explaining why Facebook is useful. I think that promoting a way for older users to sign up with their friends would aid the network effects of a tool like Facebook and make it more valuable immediately.
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