The New Facebook Copies Twitter, is Too Sweet
Since I run an ad or two for some clickbank products I like on Facebook, I decided to switch to the new style that just came out. The change in ad implementation didn’t strike me as anything unusual, since it is obvious that Facebook is wanting to reduce the amount of scrolling its users do. (Further down the page = further away from advertisements = further away from $$.) What did, however, was the way Facebook has supercharged its status update system.
Because of Facebook’s feed, my friends already know everything I do. But now, its like Facebook thinks it is on the phone with its boyfriend. “What are you doing right now?” she asks. I suppose I could say, “Writing about you, dear. Now quit calling me.” Perhaps social networking websites want you to feel like you are cheating by using more than one…thrilling enough, I guess.
Marketing Charts says social networking sites have nearly peaked. A report from DataMonitor “expects membership growth in all regions to peak by 2009 and level out by 2012.” With this in mind, divide and conquer should not be the battle plan. If anything, much like XM and Sirius (who are already drowning), acquisitions and mergers should be the name of the game. Remember that colonial-era political cartoon by Ben Franklin? Here’s my version:
Since Myspace is partnered with Twitter, it is likely that these two will join forces sometime in the future. This is probably one of the big reasons for Facebook’s preemptive overhaul. At any rate, give it 5-7 years. If Google/Orkut doesn’t have the majority of the market share by then, blame it on the stupid name.