Okay, I’m a Facebook user. Not a very active one, but I have an account, I’ve managed to keep my Friend List down to a few people whom I actually know and care about, I’ve occasionally used it for communication. I’ve just never found it to be particularly useful in a “geeIgottahavethishowdidIeverlivewithoutit” kind of way.
I just don’t find the value in concentrating all my blogging, photo, emailing, social networking activity behind a closed-community portal where I don’t own and control my information. In other words, Facebook has never really done anything for me that I couldn’t do better on my own using a combination of Gmail, Gcal, Google Reader, Twitter, Delicious, Ning and WordPress. I was excited when I read about Google’s efforts to unify ID across many of these services as a competition to Facebook (OpenSocial). But, I realize there are two advantages: ease of use (I recognize not everyone is an Internet DIY’er) and two – the Social Graph.
However, my worst fears about Facebook are coming true over the issue of targeted ads through Facebook’s Beacon service. Apparently, according to this article over at TechCrunch, major companies like Coca-Cola, Overstocks.com and others are bailing, even after Facebook did the right thing and made the service opt-IN rather than opt-OUT. I mean, why would I want Facebook reporting to my entire social graph my porn alcohol comic book purchasing habits?
Facebook is just starting to feel a little creepy, a little pervy (and not in a good way). Add this to what I perceive to be its closed and redundant nature, and I just don’t see much value in ever really getting active on Facebook again. Once OpenSocial gets the bugs worked out, there really won’t be any need at all for Facebook in my life. In a lot of ways, it’s starting to feel a lot like when AOL became a real dinosaur and didn’t really meet mine (or most anyone’s) needs anymore. I don’t miss AOL.
Won’t miss Facebook either.
1 Comment
March 17, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Facebook’s true value is probably yet to be seen–as a platform for communities that already are closed, like companies. I don’t that companies should join Facebook, but that they might find value in purchasing the software and setting up such an environment within their firewalls.