“[There were] a lot of computer science people who were interested to know how they could get involved,” Eghan said.  “It was the idea of being part of something that was blowing up, and we were watching it blow up right in front of our faces, which was a really cool thing.”

Some, like Zong, regret not following the armada of Harvard students to Facebook.

“A lot of people [from my class] then went to work at Facebook,” Zong said. “I kind of kick myself for not looking into that opportunity. I don’t think any of us expected it to get as big as it did.”

But while Facebook maintained its special relationship with Harvard as an employer, Harvard lost its privileged place in the social network.

“I think the core goal of connecting with people is the same,” said Brown, whose Facebook timeline, like those of many of his classmates, stretches back a decade. “I think that it has added change in that it is less exclusive, it’s become a more inclusive platform that allows people to stay up with each other, and I think that’s been a positive.”

—Staff writer Meg P. Bernhard can be reached at meg.bernhard@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @Meg_Bernhard.

—Staff writer Matthew Q. Clarida can be reached at matthew.clarida@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattClarida.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: Feb. 4, 2013

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the class years of Samuel L. Sanker and Brandon M. Terry. In fact, both men were members of the Class of 2005.