By Bessie King

If instant messaging, online games and Internet browsing are not enough of a distraction for college students, Thefacebook.com aptly fills the void. The Web site has swept universities nationwide, recently adding Northeastern to its hit list.

Created by Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard University sophomore, and four of his school friends, Thefacebook.com began as an online directory connecting people at colleges and universities across the nation.

Within the last three weeks that Northeastern has been included, 1,400 students have registered, adding to the total of 145,000 members, said Chris Hughes, spokesperson for the network.

Zuckerberg launched the Web site at his school on Feb. 4, 2004 obtaining 4,300 members after two weeks running, according to the Feb. 18 issue of The Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper.

The founder decided to give other schools access to the site. Yale University, Stanford University and Columbia University were added to the network shortly after; Northeastern was the 19th school included in the service.

“You can find people like you. I already know some people who will be in my classes and in my dorm for next year so it is nice to interact in this little community,” said Greg Chick, a sophomore computer science major.

Similar to sites like Friendster.com, members can select privacy settings. Students, faculty, administrators and staff decide who is allowed to view the contact and personal information they provide, along with course lists and friend lists.

Each user has the option to post his or her own picture, or desired image, after agreeing to a statement prohibiting copyrighted or pornographic material.

The site contains search options that allow students to view people at other schools involved, or to find students linked by common interests or courses. Users can specify if they have joined the network looking for a “friendship,” a “relationship,” or “whatever they can get.”

“I think the friendship or relationship feature gives you a chance to meet others who you wouldn’t have a chance to meet or wouldn’t normally talk to,” said Pierce Cote, a sophomore international relations major and member of the network. “It also helps you find out who is in your class and get to talk to someone you’ve never talked to before.”

There is also the “poke” feature that has no specific purpose or definition, but members can use it to show interest in another user.

The site’s sudden popularity has been discussed in various news publications, like the New York Times, CNN.com and student newspapers, making the creators of the site satisfied with their new brainchild.

“We are really happy with the site because it has gone over all our expectations, and this gives us energy to keep going,” Hughes said.

At this point the site has not faced any problems and its popularity keeps growing, with new members registering every day. Most recently, the University of California at Davis and the University of California at San Diego have been added to the list of schools with access, bringing the total of schools up to 33. The site’s creators say they want to continue expanding their reach.

“Our plan is to keep expanding to have over 100 schools, also, integrate the site with other programs to offer more features, change the face of Thefacebook.com, and become better,” Hughes said.

Some students are hoping the craze does not fade out in the near future, despite the recent success.

“I joined because you can connect to others in your classes and you can get contact information, so I hope the site doesn’t disappear and I actually think it will get more popular,” said Monica Milton, a sophomore political science major.

Hughes thinks the site will continue in its popularity.

“The usage has not decreased and it looks like it will keep on going and getting bigger. We have been really lucky,” Hughes said.