This week was a big week for Facebook as the company announced that they had surpassed 350 million users and are preparing to roll out some significant product upgrades. Last week Facebook also updated developers about the numerous impending changes to the Platform this month. Those stories and more in “This Week In Facebook”.

Facebook Surpasses 350 Million Users, Prepares Major Product Changes

This week Facebook celebrated a major milestone: 350 million active users. Mark Zuckerberg posted a letter to users announcing the big news in addition to updating users about impending changes. The privacy settings which were first discussed in July, will not only simply the experience for users but will empower users to have granular control over everything they publish on the site.

Facebook also updated developers about the latest Platform roadmap which includes a lot of changes this month.

Yahoo! Announces Support For Facebook Connect

Another huge win for Facebook this week was the announcement by Yahoo! that they will be rolling out Facebook Connect across their various properties. Given that Yahoo! is still one of the largest portals on the web (if not the largest), this presents a huge opportunity for Facebook to attract new users in addition to continuing the expansion of Connect as an open identity platform.

Facebook Ranks Atop Google’s Annual Zeitgeist

More positive news for Facebook this week which highlights the company’s ongoing growth was the announcement that Facebook was the second most popular keyword of the year on Google globally. Last year Facebook ranked second highest in the United States and this year it has expanded to become a global leader.

Facebook Users Receive Notice Of Pending Class Action Settlement

Some Facebook users were surprised to receive information about a pending class action suit settlement. We’ve covered the suit in the past but this week Facebook was ordered to send out a notification to Beacon users that might have been effected by service. While it’s a standard practice for class actions, I found there to be some irony in the fact that participation in the settlement is “opt-out”.

Facebook Connect Celebrates One Year Anniversary

This week Facebook also celebrated the one year anniversary of the public launch of Facebook Connect for all developers. Facebook has successfully attracted countless big name partners including Microsoft Bing, Yahoo!, NBC.com, Hlu, XBox, and numerous others. The result is that Facebook is now the leading contender in the online identity race.