A mature move for Facebook?

Social-networking site Facebook started at Harvard. It expanded to the Ivies, and then state schools and high schools. And now, it seems they're letting just anyone in.

They've opened the doors to grownups.

The popular site has been struggling lately, under fire from some of its core users after it debuted new features they dubbed as "stalkerish." While some techies of a certain age are applauding the move as a good business decision, others are wondering if a new influx of adults will drive away the core audience that made the site what it is.

Blog community response:

"What the bloggers were heralding as innovation ended up leaving Facebook with egg on its face. Opening it up will do the exact same thing. So as you're reading all of these posts about how this move is so good for Facebook, remember that we young people are a fickle bunch, and we like being exclusive. This is a terrible move Mark and your users are going to hate it. I know I do."
--Ryan Stewart - Rich Internet Application Mountaineer

"That said, I can only imagine that users will react negatively to the move - coming so soon after the Facebook facelift fiasco, it seems like incredibly bad timing."
--Mashable!

"In order for Facebook to compete with MySpace, though, they have to open up to the rest of the world, and this move should be seen as nothing less than Zuckerberg and the rest of the Facebook team firing a shot directly across the MySpace bow."
--The J. Botter weblog