We've taken a look at some of the great things you can do on Facebook, but for all the site's benefits there are some hidden costs. While surfing the site may start off as a modest distraction, by the time you add a few dozen friends, keeping track of them all and their status updates, wall writings, new photos, and any private messages can quickly become a full-time obsession. Some companies are starting to realize just what a time thief the site can be and are taking steps to ban the site, as the Apple Store just did.

The company's banning of the social networking site follows its MySpace ban of two years ago; we're just surprised it's taken Apple this long to axe Facebook as well. Since Apple wants people coming into its stores and trying out the latest Mac computers, it's trying to limit the impact of people who just come in to surf the web for a bit, hogging the computers.

The Maryland General Assembly also recently blocked the site, but its reasoning doesn't make as much sense as Apple's. The legislature's IT department has decided that Facebook and MySpace are dangerous vectors for virus infections. Rather than limit infections by properly installing anti-virus software and keeping systems patched and up-to-date, the Assembly decided to just block the sites altogether. On the other hand, maybe it's best that lawmakers are spending their time at work actually making laws instead of having to deal with Facebook distractions, so it could all be for the best.

This isn't to say that there's anything wrong with regularly checking in for Facebook status updates, so long as you're not hogging public computers or downloading viruses willy-nilly. As the site becomes more and more mainstream, people are using it to send some pretty serious updates. One British man just used the site to announce he's divorcing his wife, leaving her to find out about his plans from his status update. Then again, getting news like that might be the kind of thing that turns you off from Facebook altogether.

UPDATE: We're now hearing reports that the Apple Store ban isn't necessarily official nor universally enforced. While some stores are blocking Facebook, others are letting it through, no problem. It's likely an issue being left up to individual stores, so they can address the problem of customers hogging computer time only if it comes up.

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