The Evolution Of Facebook

2004-2012

2004: Welcome to thefacebook.comA snapshot from the earliest days of Facebook. Before it had 1 billion users, the site was available to Harvard students only.

2005: The original Facebook profileA Facebook profile in 2005 (back when users could specify they were looking for "Random play.")

2006: Mark Zuckerberg's profile2006 brought Facebook's first major redesign. A News Feed was added to a user's homepage, and a Mini Feed appeared on individual profile pages.

2008: Facebook's homepageA sleeker welcome page for Facebook's growing number of users.

2009: Facebook HomepageIn 2009, the News Feed was replaced with a Real-Time Stream. Facebook also asked users, "What's on your mind?" prompting Facebookers to share status updates.

2010: Profiles get a faceliftFacebook overhauled its profile pages again in 2010.

2010: Facebook PagesLove Lady Gaga? "Like" her on Facebook. In 2010, companies and celebrities could invite fans and customers to connect with them on Facebook.

2011: TickerFacebook stalking became even easier in 2011 when a real-time activity feed was added to the homepage.

2011: Video ChatIn 2011 Facebook enabled video calling.

2011: Hello Timeline!In 2011, the social networking giant ditched the concept of a "wall" and introduced Timeline. "Tell your life story," urged Facebook.

2011: Facebook subscribeFacebook enabled subscribe in 2011, allowing users to see people's public status updates and posts. Now called "follow," the feature's privacy settings still manage to trip up even the most savvy of Facebook users.

2012: Facebook's App CenterTo satisfy it's increasingly mobile audience, in 2012 Facebook rolled out its App Center. The App Center initially featured about 500 Facebook apps, mostly games.

2012: Facebook acquires InstagramIn the spring of 2012, Facebook acquired photosharing site Instagram for one billion dollars. Zuckerberg commented on the acquisition, calling it "an important milestone for Facebook."

2013: Graph Search

Earlier this year Facebook announced

graph search. The so-called "social

search," makes it easier to mine the site

for information about friends and

friends-of-friends.