Facebook, the Web site where students around the world socialize and swap information, has put itself on the block. The owners of the privately held company have turned down a $750 million offer and hope to fetch as much as $2 billion in a sale.

Really?

Sites like MySpace and Facebook, and social-networking rivals such as the video-oriented YouTube are promising new channels for communication, entertainment, and marketing. Social-networking sites are a primary form of communication for millions of younger people in the U.S, and increasingly, around the world. It's not unusual for young people to spend an hour or more a day at such sites, posting photos, messages, and blog entries, and building up huge lists of online "friends."

I like how "friends" is in quotes.

That $2B figure has me feeling a little verklempt. Please, talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic:

Social networking is the 21st century equivalent of collecting baseball cards.

Discuss.

Facebook's on the Block