Whether you have a Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace, you’re a part of the latest fad in social networking. So which sites are the best? “The Patriot” staff will be doing a weekly review of different social networking sites.

Chances are that you, a parent, a sibling, and maybe even a grandparent have an account on Facebook.

Facebook has a simple design and user-friendly navigation that makes it a site for people of all ages.

The instant notifications make it easy for you to quickly view what has been changed on your profile. This way, you hypothetically see the changes and not spend too much time on the computer.

Facebook also makes keeping in touch with distant friends and family members easy, with constant status updates on the Live Feed view. Still, if there’s someone you want to keep from seeing your full profile or certain pictures, you can put aspects of your profile on private.

Facebook chat can also making getting in contact with friends, family members, and classmates easy, but quickly can be disgruntling. It often kicks users offline, gives you an error, or takes five minutes just for one message to go through. Also, Facebook chat can erase your entire conversation.

One downside to Facebook is the constant spamming you can get from applications, with friends inviting you to take quizzes or join games such as Farmville.

However, you can easily click the “X” on the notification and hit report spam to get those pesky notifications removed.

Another downside is the constant distraction it gives while you’re trying to finish homework. Feel like procrastinating? Just get on Facebook and you’ll quickly forget about that five page paper you need to have turned in by tomorrow.

Overall, I give Facebook a solid B+ for its being easy to use and allowing users to maintain close contact with others.

Julia Earnshaw can be reached for comment at [email protected]