As per their homepage, Facebook is a "Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you."
OK that seems pretty clear ... but what is a social utility, and what's the difference between that and a socnet?? There is a really interesting post over at TechCrunch about PackRat and the fake accounts people have been creating to augment the game a bit. One of these accounts got a shutdown notice from the Facebook "User Operations" team (emphasis mine).
Please note that Facebook accounts are meant for authentic usage only. This means that we expect accounts to reflect mainly “real-world” contacts (i.e. your family, schoolmates, co-workers, etc.), rather than mainly “internet-only” contacts. As stated on our home page, Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you, not a “social networking site”. It is meant to help reinforce pre-existing social connections, not build large groups of new ones. If this is in direct contrast to what you expected as legitimate Facebook usage, I apologize for any confusion. This is simply the intention behind the site.
Accounts that are used solely for the purpose of applications are in violation of our Terms of Use. Unfortunately, I will not be able to reactivate your account. Sorry for any inconvenience, but this decision is final.
Thanks for your understanding,
Lauren
User Operations
Now, the Fb folks responded to TC's inquiry about this email, clarifying that "users on Facebook cannot have more than one account and creating another account for the purpose of playing this game violates our Terms of Use". That said, it seems like there is a lot of social utility in building relationships within Fb that are outside the bounds of your real-world friends and family.
