Chris Kemp

Launched a little more than a year ago, The Facebook, an online social directory of college students, has spread to more than 550 college campuses nationwide, including UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, Marquette and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

UW-Eau Claire, however, is not one of those schools, a fact that sophomore Matt Pronely hopes will change someday.

“It would just be cool to see all the links between each other and know each other,” Pronley said. “People could get to know each other better and faster.”

The Facebook was created by Harvard junior Mark Zuckerberg and “is an online directory that connects people through social networks at colleges and universities,” according to its Web site.

After registering, students can make their own profile and add themselves to, or create various different types of, social groups.

In each profile, students can list their interests, such as favorite movies or music.

UW-Madison senior Matt Gullicksrud said that, except to occasionally look up a phone number, he uses the site for “sheer procrastination.”

“I think it’s an interesting and fun way to see who everyone’s friends are and to interconnect with people on your campus,” Gullicksrud said.

The Facebook plans to incorporate a lot more schools to the network over the next year, according to its Web site. Requests to the Web site can speed up the process of implementing The Facebook at Eau Claire by completing a short form.

Sophomore Hayley Christofferson said while she would like to see Eau Claire added to the list of schools, the threat of distraction is there.

“I think it would be fun,” Christofferson said. “I would probably just be … playing around on that instead of doing homework.”

In addition to connecting campus students, The Facebook allows for people from different campuses to connect.

However, only after someone accepts the invitation to join the friendship list can they be added.

Pronley said one of his friends invited University of North Carolina basketball player Sean May onto his list. That invitation was never returned, Pronley said.

Gullicksrud said not only is The Facebook extremely popular, it’s also easy to use.

“The way that it’s built it doesn’t require a whole lot of resources or know-how,” Gullicksrud said. “There’s nothing holding you back.

Gullicksrud said he thinks The Facebook would be something very beneficial for a campus like Eau Claire.

“It’s smaller,” he said, “but you still don’t know everyone on campus.”