social networks redux

September 18, 2007 by Mary Wynne-Wynter 

I joined Facebook and I like it and have recommended it to others. This is significant, to me at least, because every previous social network attempt was a disappointment at best, and a major PITA at worst. Some thoughts:

- For independent professionals, Facebook provides an easy, no maintenance way to add dimension and “liveliness” to existing online presence. The blog feed keeps your Facebook page current once you run out of friends to add.

- My top requirement is that I have total control of my content and can make changes and deletions immediately; Facebook provides that.

- I’m older and have no desire to join social networks for my age demographic, but I’m disappointed to not find more people like me on Facebook. For example, when searching my graduate school Facebook network for age 40+ demographic, only several hundred came up out of the 4200+ total. I think there’s an opportunity here.

- I understand the need for revenue generation, and can deal with subtle advertising, but I have doubts about the effectiveness of Facebook’s ad targeting plan. I can’t say I’d find it “creepy”, as the article suggests, I’m just skeptical about predictive technologies creating demand. The example I most often use is Netflix. I’ve had Netflix for over 6 years and its never predicted what movie I might want based on what I’d previously selected, or even more far-fetched – based on what others in Cambridge MA rented. However, I did find this WSJ article a useful summary of the ad business model.

Facebook’s plan, if it works, could be potentially powerful for advertisers. While Google’s keyword-targeted ads aim at “demand fulfillment” — that is, they are triggered by Internet searches conducted by people who are actively looking for something that they want — Facebook’s new ad plan could help advertisers address an area called “demand generation.” This involves using available information — not just from a user but also the activities and interests of his “friends” on the site — to figure out what people might want before they’ve specifically mentioned it.

- My dream? To interact with my personal network through Facebook and my clients through Basecamp. Anytime, anywhere, and I would pay for it.

Filed under: Consciousness, career, going solo
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