Forget about meeting new people on campus, these days students are using online directories to make new friends. They call it "friending on facebook."

The days of looking up a fellow student in the phonebook are behind us. Students are using the internet in a new way to stay in touch and meet new people.

Last year a new phenomenon washed over the life of college students. Facebook became a highly popular "online directory that connects people through social networks at school," states Facebook's homepage.

"I started Facebook because all of my friends were," said Maegan Warner, sophomore, Alford, Mass. "Everyone was talking about 'friending on facebook', so I wanted to see what it was all about."

Facebook's online directory allows users to fill out a profile of personal information which includes everything from email or mailing addresses, part time jobs, favorite books and movies, and multiple pictures.

Once registered, users can search through their school's facebook network for users who have similar interests, attended the same high school, or enjoy the same movies.

It is also possible to search for users "globally", or outside their particular school network. However, these profiles cannot be viewed until they have been added to the user's "Friends" list.

This online directory became so popular that the majority of Sacred Heart's students can be found with a facebook profile. A quick browse of the site determined that 2,046 females and 1,334 males from all four classes as well as grad students and alumni make up the SHU facebook network.

With more than 3,000 of Sacred Heart's students using the site, opportunities to meet people are endless. The Facebook website boasts that the directory can be used to "look up people at your school, see how people know each other, [and] find people in your classes..."

Students say that Facebook has made getting in touch with classmates easier.

"I used it the other night because I needed help with an assignment, so I looked up one of the people in my class and was able to get in touch with them," said Warner.

"It's a good way to keep in touch with old friends," Warner said. "I love sending messages to people and I love receiving them, too."

In addition to searching and viewing other users' profiles, messages or comments can be left on other users' "walls" (a mini posting board in a users' profile) as a way of communication.

Facebook became so popular in its first year of use that its creators developed a second facebook for high school students as well.

While the majority of Sacred Heart's students have a Facebook profile, there are a select few who refuse to join.

"I don't need to measure my life with how many 'buddies' I have," said Rob Roy, junior, Douglas, Mass. Roy is also a He Said/She Said columnist for the Spectrum.

Not all students at SHU have profiles on Facebook. Clearly Roy is not the only one with a negative opinion.

Online directories have been growing in popularity and one directory common on campus is Myspace.com. Users do not have to be part of any school before joining.

The Myspace directory is open to all users, and the site clearly states that "you can disclose as much or as little information about yourself as you want."

The profiles on Myspace are similar to facebook. However, Myspace allows room for much personalization, with the ability to change backgrounds, fonts, blogs, and more.

The world of online directories and networking is quickly becoming the more popular way to make friends and meet new people. Myspace.com tells users that "by building your personal network, you can start expanding your circle of friends exponentially."

With more than 3,000 SHU students on TheFacebook and nearly 2,000 SHU students on Myspace, the days of looking people up in the phonebook are disappearing.

For more perspectives on college students meeting others online, see "He Said, She Said: Online Dating" on Page 7.