Simpsonfacebook.com has taken Simpson’s campus by storm. Students are spending countless hours in front of their computer screens adding new friends and accepting others.

“I love checking up on my friends, it gives me something to do when I should be doing my homework,” junior Calista Vasey said.

Simsponfacebook.com is drawing more and more attention every day. In less than a month, more than 600 Simpson students have registered with this new site.

“It is addicting, it’s the new Snood,” junior Ellie Ankeny said. “You’re constantly trying to get more friends, and then people add you and then you have to look at their profile, their friends and their pictures. You eventually expand your network.”

In February 2004, thefacebook.com was started at Harvard University by undergraduate student Mark Zukerberg. Simpson is not the only college campus that has been hit with this social epidemic: more than 200 universities across the country are registered with thefacebook.com.

Though widely popular with students, simpsonfacebook.com is independent from the college. Students voluntarily sign themselves up, and load their own pictures and personal information – so no, those student ID photos won’t be on the site.

“Just like classmates.com, simpsonfacebook.com is not officially related to the college at all,” said Missy DeYoung, Simpson’s web architect. “Sites like these are built without our knowledge. Often they are just used to create advertising opportunities for their sponsors.”

Personal information is only shared with those who are registered, and the only way to register is to have a Simpson e-mail address. Simpsonfacebook.com has a very clear privacy policy. According to the site’s privacy policy, they “will not sell, lease or exchange your personal data to third parties without first obtaining your consent.”

Despite the site’s good intentions, students should still be careful about what information and pictures they post.

“Students should always be leery when entering personal information on the internet, although the site appears to be secure and safe,” said Kurt Gocken, Simpson’s PC and network technician.

Simpsonfacebook.com is more than just adding friends and viewing pictures. The site enables users to connect with other students who have similar interest – whether it’s someone with the same major or someone who secretly likes Britney Spears.

“Simpsonfacebook.com is a great opportunity to learn more about the people at Simpson,” junior Andrew Bergman said.