Forum: english.stackexchange.com
Tags: <grammaticality><verbs><differences><eponyms><metonyms>
Title: Is "facebook" as a verb different from "google" or "photoshop"?
Question: I understand that any term, grammatical or not, becomes valid if there is common usage. I'm not concerned about that. Google and Photoshop are both commonly used as verbs. Given that the terms map fairly well to verbs (web searching and image editing), I can follow the logic of their use. Does this work for Facebook, though? What verb is it replacing?

Answers:
sents: text: common verb =
text: > official translation google =>
text: “search the internet (using the Google brand search engine)” photoshop =>
text: “edit digital images (using the Adobe Photoshop brand image editing software)” facebook =>
text: “communicate (using the Facebook brand social networking website)” EDIT: to note that the parenthesized items can in some cases be replaced with something more generic, i.e. “using any search engine”, “using any image editing software”, “using any social networking website”.
text: This is the usage that the owners of the trademarks fear (and object to) because substantial usage of that type constitutes a generic use of their trademarks, which could be grounds for being forced to forfeit the trademark.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/39/nohat
score: 10
sents: text: Merriam-Webster has a whole list of suggestions: to book engagements via facebook to put something up on facebook to look up someone's personal information using Facebook to look someone up on a social website, to find one's information on a social website To upload a photograph to Facebook so that it may be viewed by others.
text: To create an event entry on facebook To get on a facebook website.
text: 1.to search for another person through the online directory know as facebook 2.
text: to send a message through the online directory know as facebook To add someone to your list of friends on the "facebook.com" website. ...
text: Judging by the list, you can't predict which verb "to facebook" might or might not end up replacing.
text: Right now, it's just a shorthand for many different things to different people.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/300/RegDwigнt
score: 7
sents: text: I have never heard "Facebook" used as a verb ("to facebook").
text: Photoshop means "edit a photograph", and Google means "search the web".
text: Facebook provides too many diverse functions to be easily verbed.
text: Would the verb be transitive or intransitive (e.g. "I facebooked all day" vs "I'll facebook you")?
text: In the former case, does it mean "update my profile", "look at friends pictures" or "search for new friends"...?
text: In the latter case, does it mean "add as friend", "send a message", "write on the wall", "ping"...?
text: It is unclear.
text: There is no single defining activity that Facebook is used for or a clear result it produces.
text: Similarly, spreadsheet or database program names ("1-2-3", "Excel", "Oracle", "MySql") are rarely used as verbs.
text: These programs, like Facebook can be used for diverse tasks.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/1056/dbkk
score: 4
sents: text: It doesn't really replace any other verb.
text: Think of it like "skiing," which means the act of using skis.
text: I would say that (for the present day, at least) all of these terms still pertain to the act of using the specific item to which they refer.
text: Some people do say "Google that with Bing," but this is just to satirize the usage of "Google" as a verb.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/727/John Gietzen
score: 2
sents: text: I've heard my students say, "I'll facebook you" many times.
text: Of course, what they mean is, "I'll send you a message on Facebook."
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/26976/Janet Dueñas
score: 2
sents: text: Using trademarks as verbs is almost always discouraged by the trademark holder, as it risks genericizing the trademark.
text: This is why, for example, Microsoft never describes a PowerPoint presentation as "a PowerPoint", but uses the generic term "slideshow".
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/1060/duffbeer703
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
There is no agreement as to what "Facebook" as a verb would definitively refer to, although some option include "booking engagements via facebook", "looking up someone's personal information using Facebook" or "uploading a photograph to Facebook". Some people may also use "facebook" to describe sending a message to someone on Facebook.
The term can apply to any of the services available on Facebook but generally when people say "I'll facebook you" what they mean is, "I'll send you a message on Facebook."
There is no agreement as to what "Facebook" as a verb would definitively refer to, although some option include "booking engagements via facebook", "looking up someone's personal information using Facebook" or "uploading a photograph to Facebook". Some people may also use "facebook" to describe sending a message to someone on Facebook.
Facebook provides too many diverse functions to be easily verbed. e.g to create an event entry on facebook or to get on a facebook website.  Or does it mean "update my profile", "look at friends pictures" or "search for new friends"? Usually what people mean is, "I'll send you a message on Facebook." Using trademarks as verbs is almost always discouraged by the trademark holder, as it risks genericizing the trademark.
People often say "I'll Facebook you".  It doesn't really  replace  any other verb, but it is shorthand and may mean different things to different people.
There are number of ways that "facebook" is being used as a verb and they are so varied that it is difficult to say which verb or action the word "Facebook" might be specifically replacing. Some examples include posting a publication on Facebook or upload a photograph to Facebook.