I should start this post by saying that yes, I'm 23, and yes, I still use Facebook regularly -- draw whatever conclusions you may about my maturity and level of emotional development. As Facebook users are well aware, the site recently started allowing its members to install user-created apps that add new functions to the site. For instance, the Graffiti app (created by a fellow Newton North High School alum and some of his friends) lets you post drawings on your friends' profiles. It's all good, clean fun, and without Graffiti I never could have created a drawing of numerous stick figures saying "WE HATE DAN!" while off to the left a stick figure labeled "DAN" cries, and then posted it on my friend Dan's profile. God bless the Internet.

Anyway, upon signing on today, I found an ad for a new app called "HOT or NOT." I'd rather open up a Jewish deli in Fallujah than install it, but apparently it lets you rate the hotness of Facebook users from one ("You're ugly, bro.") to 10 ("Wanna come to this frat party later?"). It's billed as

The FASTEST way to FIND HOTTIES on facebook!

Have fun rating other facebook users 1 to 10 and maybe meet some too ;).

Find out who your hottest friend is or who the hottest person at your school is.

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NEW FEATURE:

Now you can see what your friends have rated you!
Click the "Friends Rated Me" tab in the hotornot app to see friend votes. It will only show friend votes starting from today (6/14/07)

So if you want to know whether anonymous strangers think you're attractive -- and return the favor -- then by all means install this app. It's good to see the social networking potential of Facebook being put toward such a productive goal. Hopefully, by 2050 or so every teen on the planet will know whether he or she is HOT or NOT.