Facebook, which used to be the exclusive online meeting place for young people, has expanded its scope in what Internet analysts are saying is an attempt to stay relevant as the competition heats up.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based social networking firm this week said anyone with an e-mail address can register on the site.

Originally launched in 2004 as an online watering hole for high-school and college-students, Facebook quickly became popular among teens who flocked to it as a sort of online cruising site to check out friends or romantic interests.

While restricting the site to the students and youth groups gave Facebook that cool aura of exclusivity, it also greatly limited the site's reach. MySpace, the most popular social networking site open to the masses, has lured growing numbers of users and advertisers, with 49.1 million unique visitors in August, vs. FaceBook's 8.8 million.

With the rumor mill churning that Facebook is in talks to be scooped up by Internet giant Yahoo, its move to "open the flood gates" could be the Web site's saving grace -- or death knell.

Some analysts believe Facebook is maneuvering to show a possible buyer that it is ready to go up against MySpace. Others say Facebook's ploy its a feeble attempt that will ultimately go bust since it's taking away what had been its appeal -- exclusivity.