As far as social networking sites go, I think Facebook has done well: They maintain the largest database of former/current contacts available, while encouraging

As far as social networking sites go, I think Facebook has done well: They maintain the largest database of former/current contacts available, while encouraging a "real name" policy so that I always know who I'm talking to (as opposed to a site filled with pseudonyms). While the Applications fad muddled the waters, I think Facebook has been shifting to a much more consistent model with their latest News Feed. It doesn't seem as hodgepodged together as it used to. If there was something better, I'd move. But if my friends don't move, that question is largely irrelevant. So many students today have joined Facebook that it would take something extraordinary to move enough of them to another site to make it worth my while. That's the biggest problem I see here: When a social networking site like Facebook captures so much attention and growth, it will take a major blunder or a revolutionary competitor to move enough people away. We may be stuck with Facebook for a long while, because they aren't bad enough to warrant change for most users. The battle for this generation of social networks has been won. The next site that wants to capture users will either have to aim for the next generation (read: younger) of students, or will have to incorporate something very new. I don't know what that is -- features I'd like to see would include photo face-recognition, GPS location info, etc. More presence, to enable users to interact with others in real life. Yet that may only arrive as devices like the iPhone become the rule, rather than the exception.