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Went Hot: January 21, 2008 - 7:08 am
Posted By: northrock 532 days ago
Topic Type: News Story (Jump to http://www.toprankblog.com)
Category: Other Social Media
Reader Poll: Are You Still Excited About Using Facebook?
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14 Comments
Comments
I wouldn't say I was excited about it but, then again, I was never overly excited about it in the first place. I initially thought it was a good way to keep in contact with folks but its appeal lessened when they opened it up and allowed all the apps.
I still like Facebook, but agree with Lee on this:
I had planned on only friending those I actually knew on Facebook, as opposed to LinkedIn which I befriended anyone, but I've broken my own plan.
I've taken to unfriending those who I don't know, but have friended, who invite me to stupid groups I have no interest in. (You can unfriend people quitely without it notifying them.)
But all in all, Facebook is still a fun way to keep up with friends. If I ever figure out Twitter, perhaps that would replace it as mostly I do just like the status updates, which is all Twitter is, as far as I can tell.
I used to be a Facebook geek. I used to be on it about 10 hours a day at work just keeping on with friends. When Facebook started to try to copy Myspace it lost all of its glamour. It doesnt have the vibe it used to have before all the apps.
Now Facebook is just like any other social site. A place to pick up chicks.
What is Facebook? Sounds cool ;)
i dont' make the effort to visit facebook every day anymore, the excitement is gone for me. i still think it has potential though. a handfull of useful apps need to rise above all the useless ones. it will take a little time to sort itself out and evolve into a resourceful tool with a purpose for business minded folks.
northrock, I haven't given up on it yet either. I've generally stayed away in the past, becuase I saw it as a walled community (unable to provide links that could be indexed by search engines). However, the exposure and traffic generation power of Facebook can't be ignored, which leads me to believe that along with the introduction to Facebook applications and whatever else they might have up their sleave, it's still something that I want to experiment with.
I've written a post on the blog, but generally I feel there is still plenty of scope for Facebook. It's a lot like any trend... it filters down from the innovators to the mainstream and then the innovators find something else...
However, the mainstream still represent an excellent market, and one that might even surpass MySpace....
Si
There's no doubt that Facebook (and MySpace for that matter) continue to be excellent marketing opportunities and will continue to be so.
However, the proliferation of marketing on both platforms will either continue to turn certain segments off or it will get smarter and start providing real value to the community.
I lost interest in Facebook a long time ago. Even longer for Myspace.
My new found interest has got to be Twitter but we'll see how long that lasts for.
Some products become a "killer app".. in Facebook's case, the apps were the product killer. It's no longer a clean, serious social networking site... it's a virtual kiddie amusement park.
This Cracked.com viral video, that got 8,600+ diggs last week, explains how I feel about Facebook.
I never really took to Facebook, but still have it around. I'm now experimenting with Twitter. Who knows, that might stick but I can't see it being a thing that will last too long.
For me, there has to be a reason to stay with a community. It's one thing to join one, to see what it's about, who the people are, what the community does and whether or not it's fulfilling and satisfying to be part of.
Facebook was a fun outlet for awhile. If you want to see what your friends are up to, it meets that need. However, there are a few ways in which Facebook can show who is not your friend or who isn't really interested in you. This may come as a surprise to some people who thought it would be more community oriented.
@cre8pc - great point about needing a reason to stay with a community. I belong to a non-SEO industry message board and have managed to stick with it for six years. Considering that the number of other sites I joined, posted to and eventually left is in the dozens, I'm impressed by my commitment to the one. How come? Community. All of my local friends are on there and it remains a great source of humor, news and debate. I've gone months without posting before, but somehow, I always come back to it because I love the community.
On the other hand, MySpace was about defining just myself. I was able to post pics, music, interests, etc, but it was more difficult to interact with all of my friends at one time. Facebook helped a bit with the news feed and groups, but it's still ultimately about YOU. Who am I? What am I doing? How many zombie points do I have? Sure, I still use Facebook and interact with my friends, especially those that live out-of-town, but there's less appeal once you've caught up with everyone.
I don't think MySpace or Facebook will go away anytime soon, but I can see why the appeal for those who joined to force connections and garner some kind of professional respect is waining. You can only get from it as much as others and yourself put out and the amount of time wasted on Facebook in the early days can't be sustained long term.
I was addicted for the first month or so I was on it... At that time the news feed was pure genius in my mind. Now I only log in when I have a message. The other week I removed a bunch of apps and hid my wall. I'm ready for the next one.