The move comes after a storm of controversy when Facebook tried to change its terms of use to give it more control and ownership of user data and uploads.

'A New Relationship'

CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg described the move as creating "a new relationship" between Internet companies and the people they serve. He said it results from an increasing amount of information being shared on Web sites.

"This past week," he added, "reminded us that users feel a real sense of ownership over Facebook itself, not just the information they share."

The first policies subject to the new process are The Facebook Principles, described by the company as "a set of values that will guide the development of the service," and a Statement of Rights and Responsibilities that will outline the duties of both Facebook and its users. The company said an updated Privacy Policy will also be up for review by users.

The Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, Facebook said, is a response to issues raised by the Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities Group. When complete, it will replace the existing Terms of Use, the Developer Terms of Service, and even the Facebook Advertising Terms and Conditions.

Virtual Town Halls, Voting

In particular, the draft statement emphasizes that users, not Facebook, own the content shared through the company's services. Facebook's permission for using the content would expire when users remove the content or their account. The new process also provides for giving users notice, the ability to comment, and, under certain conditions, approval authority through another vote.

Users will have 30 days to review and comment on the new policies through virtual town halls, groups created specifically for this purpose. Following the comment period, a new draft of the Facebook Principles and the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities will be issued, along with the "most common and significant comments" and Facebook's responses, if appropriate.

A vote will then be held on the draft, although the company's announcement leaves open the possibility of "other alternatives," presumably additional drafts. The vote will be open to all active members and will be binding if more than 30 percent of them vote, about 53 million members.

The announcement also provides for future policy changes eligible for a vote, and the establishment of a user council. The bottom line, said Current Analysis' Brad Shimmin, is that Facebook still owns the company, so any description of the new openness as a "democracy" ignores that fact.

He also pointed out that there are still substantial questions, including what happens to content imported to a Facebook user's account from another site, such as photos on Flickr. Shimmin suggested the company may be "setting up users" for a major disappointment if the vote doesn't reach 30 percent of active users, which is a huge number of people.

But, he said, even if there is more fallout over the process, this trend toward more openness and user participation will continue to grow among social-networking sites.