Jeff Jarvis wrote a column about Facebook. It captures the essence of why Facebook is so incredible. I also find it amazing that Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, seems to really get it (whatever it is) and is focused on what he believes in, not making a billion dollars:

Zuckerberg’s ambition for Facebook — which he has so far refused to sell, even though it is said he has been offered more than $1bn — is nothing less than for it to become the social operating system of the web, the Google of people. If the service opens up yet more — if it becomes the twine to tie together my lives online in my blog, my work, my town, YouTube, Flickr, Del.icio.us, Amazon, eBay, Twitter, and more — then his ambition may be attainable. That would be elegant organisation indeed.

I think we're just starting to realize the power of "Web 2.0." Facebook makes it all work, too. This weekend, I hooked up my Twitter account with my Facebook with my cell phone with my chat client. Which means nothing to you if you don't use IM/Facebook/txt messaging, but if you do, it's just freakin' incredible. I'm such a nerd.

Well-designed software plays nice with others (uses standards) and helps you do things that you couldn't imagine you could do quicker and easier than you expect such that within a week or two you forget how it used to be. Until your internet and electricity go out in a thunderstorm and you cry yourself to sleep.