If you’ve been around the Internet for a while, even for a year or so, you have probably heard of one of the most popular social networking websites around called Facebook. To date, Facebook has over 64 million active subscribers worldwide – not including those subscribers who signed up this year. Most probably, you’re one of them or some of your friends have been convincing you to join this social bandwagon.

Why are websites like Facebook so popular? Why does Facebook sell like hot potatoes to Internet enthusiasts? Here are four reasons why.

Upload unlimited photos. Facebook is the most popular website for uploading photos. In fact, more than 14 million photos are uploaded daily. Not only can users upload unlimited photos, you can also add tags and put comments on your friends’ photos. With tagging, you’ll know when your friends or your contacts add a picture of you in their album. Not just that, you can also embed and upload your videos through the web or through your mobile phone using Facebook Mobile. Sharing memorabilia has never been this fun and easy.

Be ‘in the know’. Do you want to know what your friends are doing without using instant messaging softwares like Yahoo! Messenger or MSN? With Facebook’s STATUS feature, you can see what your friends are up to without having to ask them – which can definitely save a lot of time and effort. This also works vice versa because Facebook users can also update their friends on what they are up to.

Not satisfied? You can also let your friends know if there are upcoming events like parties, conferences or social gatherings in your community. You can put all the details and send mass invitations. Plus, your friends can RSVP if they are attending or not. Is your party for girls only? Don’t worry, you can also choose who to invite using Facebook’s Events feature.

Interact with friends through games and other applications. Facebook changed the way people use applications for social networking websites. Applications like games and tests (Poker, Trivia Games, Get-to-know-yourself tests, “What does your birthday mean?” test, “Are you Normal?” test, etc) are being used to encourage more social interaction through the Internet. You don’t have to meet each other face to face to be able to play poker.

You can also join different groups and causes like anti-war or “Stop Global Warming”. When joining these causes, you can contribute in any form such as online support or money.

Send gifts! What can make you smile on a bad day? – a gift! With Facebook’s Gift feature, you can select from hundreds of icons from Facebook’s virtual gift shop and add a message to send to your friends. You can send flowers, shoes or even a bone to your friend’s virtual pet. If it’s a more personal gift, you have the option to give it privately so others wouldn’t know. You can get from the free gifts section or if you have money to spare, you can get virtual gifts for $1.00.