It’s no secret that Facebook has become a game changer for everyone. In 2012 it’s now easier than ever to keep in touch with relatives, rekindle an old friendship or even start a new one at this popular social networking destination.

No matter whether you have a small list of trusted connections or you’re always welcome to a new friend request, it’s important that you don’t forget about the power of your Facebook friends.

A recent study conducted by Pew Research found that an average Facebook user can can reach an average of more than 150,000 Facebook users through their Facebook friends; while the median user can reach about 31,000 others. This means that every status update has the potential to reach out to almost all ends of the earth if it’s spread by the right people. It is also a clear indication that if you’re not using Facebook to connect with friends and potential clients, you’re missing the bigger boat of having your content shared and spread at Facebook’s growing platform of over 8 million worldwide users by way of a “friend to friend” share.

On average, most Facebook users have 245 friends on their friends list and add about 7 new friends a month. While not all friend requests are accepted, a high percentage (80%) of them are. Not surprisingly, women are  more active at the site and have a tendency to update their status, send, receive and accept  new friend requests, like others updates, have their updates liked, comment and participate in other Facebook activities more than their male counterparts.

It’s also pretty safe to assume that the numbers of members of Facebook are only going to grow leading up to their 5 billion dollar Initial Public Offering expected to take place sometime in the near future, so expect even more friends and connections at the second busiest website on the Internet today.