Collecting friends is an everyday task for avid Facebook user Jesse McMillan.

When a private movie screening was at stake, however, McMillan’s friend collecting became a more serious business.

McMillan, a junior, recently won “The Social Network” Promotion contest, a national sweepstakes that landed him a free private showing of the Facebook origin film at the Woodland Mall Cinema with 50 exclusive friends. The screening occurred Sept. 30, a day before its official release to theaters.

“When they called me I was so surprised,” McMillan said. “I never win anything. I just thought ‘Why not?’ when I entered it online, so when they told me I won I thought ‘You got to be kidding me — there’s no way this is true.'”

According to guidelines on “The Social Network” website, contest participants had to be United States residents, 18 years old and boast at least 500 Facebook friends.

The sweepstakes took place from Sept. 7 through 17, and one winner from each state was selected in a random drawing by West Coast Marketing, an “independent judging entity” based in California.

After being notified by a West Coast Marketing representative, McMillan said he assembled an audience the fastest, most efficient way he knew how — a private Facebook event.

“It’s the best way to go,” he said. “It’s so easy to get an answer with the RSVP right there. I use the event feature all the time because it gives you a good idea of how many people are going to be there.”

Prior to attending the private screening, however, one of Jesse’s guests had yet to experience the Facebook sensation.

“At first Jesse and I weren’t sure if you needed a Facebook to even go to the premiere,” said Dillon Stiger, a freshman who met Jesse this year in math class. “I created one with the intention of deleting it after, but then I decided it was pretty cool and I wanted to keep it.”

Facebook has helped Stiger keep in contact with friends from home and the University, he said, and after seeing “The Social Network,” he is “keeping his for sure.”

“I got to see how much work was put in from so many people for [Facebook] to become popular,” he said. “I would definitely recommend seeing it. At least half of everyone in BG is addicted to Facebook anyway, so they’ll think it’s cool. I just made mine and I thought it was cool.”

Junior Ryan Hall, who knew McMillan since high school at EHOVE Career Center, said he enjoyed attending the private premiere, but considered “The Social Network” an average film.

“It was OK,” he said. “It wasn’t the best movie I’ve ever seen, but it did make Facebook slightly more interesting.”

Nonetheless, Hall, a computer science major, said his background knowledge of computers did make “The Social Network” a little more relatable and enjoyable for him.

“I didn’t realize there was such an intense back story,” he said. “From a technical aspect, it was amazing, but if you don’t know a lot about computers it may be a little confusing.”

The sweepstakes winner said he was very pleased with the film and the experience of seeing it before everyone else.

“It definitely shed light on Facebook and was very entertaining,” McMillan said. “I really liked it. It’s funny, but yet it shows you what it was sought out to do: Show how Facebook was created. It’s a drama, it’s a comedy — it’s everything, really.”

McMillan also said he enjoyed the movie’s “perfect” portrayal of Facebook’s creators, Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin.

“[Zuckerberg] knew he was hot s*** and everyone else did too, but he didn’t try to impress anyone,” McMillan said. “It was so funny because he was such an a**hole in the movie. And [Saverin] was an economics major like me, so I can definitely relate.”

For more information about “The Social Network” and the sweepstakes, visit http://www.thesocialnetwork-movie.com.