With the advent of Google+, C&R thinks it’s high time to give a little credit to its forerunner, its mothership, its founding father: Facebook.  The effort to build it may have been less than collaborative.  It may not have built communities and created connections from strangers, the way Twitter has.  It may never have the awesome-if-creepy “hangout” feature that made Google+ so tempting to at least one C&R editor, and let’s face it, it’s probably going to be really passe one day soon. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24095119@N06/2324843973

But still, Facebook is wonderful, and deserves a (very small) amount of special attention today.  Here’s why:

1. Facebook is collaborative.  You sign on and create your profile, but from there, you’re meant to interact.  Find friends, share pictures, message your neighbor.  Without friends, Facebook isn’t just sad and lonely; it’s pointless.  C&R can totally get behind a system of interconnected snippets that have no meaning until assigned a community.
2. Your Facebook network and profile is awesome.  Seriously.  If you are like me, you have been adding people and updating statuses and posting pictures for nearly 7 years.  Are you really willing to wait another 7 years for your mother/high school English teacher/college dining hall cashier to join another website?  When they all do, will you be willing to re-upload all your pictures from 1997 to Picasa? (PS – This is based on a true story.  I really am friends with my mom, Mr. Del Campo, and Pedro.)
3. C&R is on Facebook, and we’re not on Google+ (yet).  If you’re jumping ship now, you won’t get to be a part of our awesome fan page!

So, go ahead and “like” us on Facebook.  Then, go friend your mother and try not to cringe when she comments on all your pictures.