What other projects was Mark Zuckerberg working on before Facebook?

The initial target audience for Facebook was college students, specifically those attending Harvard University. When Mark Zuckerberg and his co-founders launched Facebook in February 2004, the platform was exclusively available to Harvard students. However, it quickly expanded to include other Ivy League universities and eventually universities and colleges across the United States and internationally.

By focusing on college students as its initial target audience, Facebook capitalized on the tight-knit social networks and communities found within college campuses. The platform provided a centralized hub for students to connect, communicate, and share information with their classmates, friends, and peers.

The decision to target college students was strategic, as Zuckerberg and his team recognized the unique social dynamics and communication patterns prevalent among this demographic. Facebook's early success within the college community laid the foundation for its subsequent expansion to other demographics and user segments, eventually becoming the global social networking platform we know today.

Before Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg worked on several other projects, both independently and collaboratively. Some of the notable projects include:

1. **CourseMatch**: CourseMatch was a website Zuckerberg created while he was a student at Harvard University. It allowed students to select and compare their course schedules with those of their peers to find classes they had in common. CourseMatch was one of Zuckerberg's early projects that demonstrated his interest in developing online tools for students.

2. **Facemash**: Facemash was a controversial project Zuckerberg created in 2003 while he was a student at Harvard. It was a website that allowed users to rate the attractiveness of their peers based on their profile pictures. Facemash garnered significant attention on campus but was shut down by Harvard administrators after just a few days due to privacy and ethical concerns.

3. **HarvardConnection**: HarvardConnection (later renamed ConnectU) was a social networking website concept developed by Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra. Zuckerberg was hired to work on the project as a programmer. However, Zuckerberg ultimately abandoned the HarvardConnection project and instead launched Facebook, which had similar features but a different vision and approach.

4. **Wirehog**: Wirehog was a file-sharing application developed by Mark Zuckerberg and Adam D'Angelo, a classmate from Harvard. Wirehog allowed users to share files with their Facebook friends directly through the Facebook platform. However, Wirehog was short-lived and eventually discontinued.

These projects, along with others Zuckerberg worked on during his time at Harvard University, laid the groundwork for the development of Facebook. They demonstrated Zuckerberg's entrepreneurial spirit, technical skills, and interest in creating online platforms for social interaction and communication.