Looking Back on 10 Years of Facebook

Looking Back on 10 Years of Facebook

In the past 10 years, Facebook has gone from a dorm room project to one of the biggest websites in the world.

Facebook has changed immensely in the past decade and the full evolution is nothing short of astounding.

Check out the long journey that started out as, “TheFacebook.”

3 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

February, 2004 – thefacebook.com Launches

In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg launched “The Facebook” from his college dorm room. The website was originally only available to Harvard students.

4 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

Facebook in 2004

5 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

March, 2004 – Facebook Out Grows Harvard

By March of that year, Facebook had gained enough momentum to move into other college campuses. MIT, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, Stanford, Dartmouth, Yale and Columbia were next on Facebook’s list.

6 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

June, 2004 – Facebook Receives First Investment

By summer, Facebook had attracted enough attention to catch the eye of venture capitalist, Peter Theil, who made an angel investment of $500,000.

7 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

June, 2004 – Facebook Relocates to Palo Alto

Following the angel investment, Facebook took their operation to the West Coast and settled into their first official HQ in California.

8 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

December, 2004 – 1 Million

Facebook hit 1 million registered users in its first year, an incredible amount of growth for such a young company.

9 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

August, 2005 – Facebook Acquires Facebook.com Domain

In 2005, Facebook finally dropped the “The” in its domain name.

10 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

September, 2005 – Facebook Expands to High School Networks

Facebook opened its doors to people other than college students in 2005, allowing high school students to register under their school’s network.

11 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

October, 2005 – Facebook Introduces “Albums” Feature

It’s hard to imagine that Facebook existed without albums, but prior to late 2005, this feature was unavailable.

12 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

Facebook in 2006

13 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

April, 2006 – Facebook Goes Mobile

Before the app, there was “Facebook for Mobile.” This mobile friendly browser allowed users to access the network from their devices.

14 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

August, 2006 – Facebook Development Platform Launches

Facebook Platform allowed developers to create integrated apps with mass distribution. This gave brands another opportunity to reach Facebook’s rich audience.

15 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

September, 2006 – Facebook Gets a Facelift

In September, Facebook added the News & Mini Feeds. Now, users could read a personalized stream of stories based on their friends and interests.

16 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

Facebook in 2007

17 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

June, 2007 – Facebook Video Arrives

Not only did Facebook just introduce Video uploads in 2007, but they also gave users the opportunity to video message and upload via mobile.

18 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

July, 2007 – 30 Million on Facebook

After doubling the number of accounts they had at the start of 2007, Facebook hit a huge milestone mid-year, amassing 30 million active users.

19 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

November, 2007 – Introducing Facebook Ads

After years without a major advertising platform, Facebook introduced Ads to allow “businesses to connect with users and target advertising to the exact audiences they want.”

20 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

Facebook in 2008

21 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

April, 2008 – Facebook Chat

Facebook created a new way for users to connect with each other in real time via Chat.

22 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

July, 2008 – Facebook for iPhone

A year earlier, Facebook launched their Facebook iPhone website. As demand grew, Facebook responded by producing their first Facebook iPhone App.

23 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

October, 2008 – Facebook Sets up International HQ in Dublin

In 2008, Facebook established their international headquarters in Dublin to help serve users in Europe, the Middle East & Africa.

24 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

July, 2008 – “The Wall”

In July of 2008, Facebook introduced “The Wall,” another way for users to keep tabs on what their friends are up to.

25 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

Facebook in 2009

26 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

September, 2009 – Facebook Cash-Flow Positive

In 2009, Facebook topped the 300 million user mark and announced that it had turned its first cash-positive quarter.

27 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

Facebook in 2010

28 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

July, 2010 – 500 Million on Facebook

After only 6 years, Facebook hit 500 million users.

29 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

October, 2010 – Facebook on the Big Screen

In 2010, Facebook’s “story” was released as the plotline to the widely successful blockbuster, “The Social Network.”

30 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

December, 2010 – Person of the Year

After one of Facebook’s biggest years ever, TIME acknowledged its founder with one of their highest honors.

31 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

December, 2010 – Facebook Tops Google

In 2010, Facebook was the most visited website of the year… Yes, even more visits than Google.

32 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

Facebook in 2011

33 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

August, 2011 – Facebook Messenger

Facebook introduced a new mobile app to connect their users in real-time. Messenger “gives you a faster way to message friends and small groups.”

34 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

September, 2011 – Introducing Timeline

Facebook added “Timelines” to users’ profiles in September. Facebook added this feature to help users “tell all the different parts of your story – from the small things you do each day to your biggest moments.”

35 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

Facebook in 2012

36 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

May, 2012 – Facebook Goes Public

Facebook’s IPO was not only the biggest IPO in Internet history, but one of the biggest in technology’s history. After closing it’s first day on the NYSE, Facebook’s share price was $38.23.

37 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

April, 2013 – Facebook Home

Facebook created a completely integrated UI for Android phones in 2013. The design emphasized interaction with people, rather than with apps.

38 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

June, 2013 – Hashtags Reach Facebook

Perhaps taking a cue from Twitter, in the summer of 2013, Facebook introduced their own clickable hashtags to help their audience connect via similar interests and conversations.

39 © 2013 Simply Measured, Inc

February, 2014 – Facebook Buys WhatsApp for $16 Billion

Facebook bought messaging service, WhastApp, for a staggering $16 billion. As the biggest-ever Silicion Valley purchase ever, Facebook is hoping this acquisition will place them closer to the heart of mobile communications.

With over 1 billion monthly active users, a photo sharing platform in Instagram, and a messaging service in WhatsApp, we have to wonder…

What will Facebook do next?

Tell us what you think!

Thank You!For More Social Media Analysis,

follow us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SimplyMeasured