Posted by Bert Zethof

The number of Facebook users is simply astounding. In his yearend blog, Nick Burcher states that Facebook now has 59 million active users, with this number doubling every six months. Nick Burcher

It is becoming the Internet platform of choice.

So far, I\'ve avoided using Facebook, seeing it as a potential time suck. But I\'m beginning to think it could be beneficial, especially for succeeding in a relationship-based business like coaching and consulting. The line between our professional and personal lives is blurring.

But I keep coming back to the question of the demographics of Facebook users - Who are they? Who has time to be on Facebook?

I did a quick and dirty statistical analysis of the alumni network of my high school, Mount Douglas in Victoria, BC, Canada.

I found that only ten members of my grad class of 1972 are part of the Facebook network. For the 1992, 2002, and 2007 grad classes, the numbers are 102, 138, and 424 respectively. While the size of the classes has grown over the years, these stats definitely indicate stronger participation in Facebook among my fellow alumni by the younger generations.