I was thinking about this the other day. Similar to MySpace, a social networking site that many North Americans will likely be familiar with is a site called Facebook. Facebook was originally created specifically for university students to network, send messages and share photos, among other things. At one time, it was only open to university students and you could only signup using your registered school email account.

While not all of my friends have Facebook, those who don't login using other user's accounts to check what is happening regularly -- without doing it, you find yourself out of the loop on friend's lives. This just goes to prove that right now, Facebook is essential to most student's social lives.

Today, anyone can join -- students at any age level, adults, teens and even those who are not attending school. I find now that more than ever, my life revolves around Facebook. Want to know what everyone is up to this weekend? Check Facebook. Want to see photos from the other night? Check Facebook. Need to message your friend who isn't online? GO TO FACEBOOK.

I find that increasingly, it becomes a central place for friends to meet online and share what is going on. Without it, those who are not already insanely social miss out.

Similar to checking email and phone messages, most students today seem to login to Facebook at least once per day -- and that's just the start. More and more frequently now, people will reply faster on Facebook than to emails, especially when it comes to social interaction and with that, people are on MSN less often.

What I wonder is this: Will there be a day when online social networks such as Facebook, MySpace or even TIG will become a manditory part of your day? Let me know what you think!