By Zachary Warren

Three years ago, during the days of the Deseret Towers dormitories, freshmen Steven Chao and Mike Glazier sat in their third-floor room creating a new Facebook group.

“We were under-represented,” said Chao, now a sophomore from Anaheim, Calif. “There were a lot of blond groups. We felt there should be a group for those people who weren’t blond.”

The BYU community exists in both the physical and cyber realms. Unlike traditional networking which happens in person, BYU Facebook groups are creating a new nexus of friendships.

Whether participants are blond or brunette, a McCain supporter or an Obama fan, there is a Facebook group that represents all backgrounds. Like Chao, many students nationwide are creating groups to suit their personalities.

Chao’s dark black hair was his key motivation in creating “The Non-Blonde beauties at BYU,” a Facebook group designed to bring BYU students together who have darker-colored hair.

Though Chao’s group is aimed at being a fun social network, other Facebook groups teach students about various topics and help people with similar interests become acquainted. Brian Anderson, known by some as the “Face-book Guru” and the “Tom of BYU freshmen,” is the founder and creator of “BYU Freshman 2008-2009,” which aims to create a more cohesive BYU freshman student body.

So far, Anderson’s group has more than 1,200 members and, unlike most other groups, active members have posted 1,800 comments on its wall.

“I think this group has purpose and that’s why it has been successful,” said Anderson, a freshman from Whittier, Calif. “There are a lot of discussion topics: everything from who’s going to the football game, what classes are you taking, or are you going to be in freshmen academy? It gives freshmen the opportunity to meet other people and adjust to campus life quicker.”

The group is connecting people, Anderson said. Two of Anderson’s friends, Tasha and Rachel, met through the Facebook group. They started talking and hanging out and eventually became roommates.

“The most interesting thing is, Tasha is from San Diego and Rachel is from Switzerland,” Anderson said. “Where else would you be able to make a connection like that?”

Anderson’s group is becoming popular among different student organizations. BYUSA and other university de-partments have contacted him, asking the group to spread the word for different school activities.

“I never expected the school to come and ask me to help get freshmen involved,” Anderson said.

Anderson’s group is one of many Facebook groups gaining attention from outside the Facebook community. Or-ganizations and businesses are using Facebook to launch ideas and gain popularity. The LDS Church is no differ-ent.

“Elder Ballard is encouraging the use of the Internet,” Anderson said. “He thinks it’s a way for people to be in-formed of things that are going on.

“Elder Ballard told all the young single adults to use the Internet, and he even said write on your walls, even though he wasn’t sure what that meant.”

Facebook’s impact is both global and personal, whether a group is informing others about political issues or just playing matchmaker.

“Facebook groups have helped me connect with people socially,” said Leo Del Toro, an accounting major from Novato, Calif. “Having a Hispanic background at BYU makes me more of a minority. These groups make it easier for me to find others with similar backgrounds and give me a better opportunity to network.”

Elise Schoneberg, a freshman from Thousand Oaks, Calif., uses her Facebook group “BYU 4th Stake” to help bring church members together.

“A lot of people started joining and posting events from their wards,” Schoneberg said. “I send out updates on stake activities and other church activities. It’s a good reminder, especially for freshmen who already have so much going on.”

While many Facebook groups try to connect people, other groups use Facebook to test ideas. Aaron Krall, a senior from Newbury Park, Calif., uses “byuConnect,” a Facebook group he created to gather opinions about creating a new Web site.

“The purpose of the Facebook group was to test an idea that a friend [Tyler Platts] and I had to create a Web site that connected BYU students to the events going on at BYU,” Krall said.

Krall and Platt’s idea has become popular among the BYU student body. Within the first week, there were more than 300 members. The group continues to grow, and its early success has caught the attention of organizations around campus — so much attention that byuConnect is now in the process of becoming a real Web site.

“Unlike a site built to generate profits, this site will be built with the sole purpose of connecting students to the school,” Krall said. “Students can see through things that are fake and not genuine. This site will be different. We hope that every student will bookmark this page and go to it often.”

While Krall said he thinks there isn’t enough BYU pride around campus, he believes his Web site will help bridge the disconnect and unite students.



Copyright Brigham Young University 18 Nov 2008