DISQUS

Rex Dixon · 2 years ago

Usually I don't follow, but in the case of Facebook, I did. I waited, watched, and yes, finally you can even find yours truly Rex Dixon on Facebook. :)

Rex

P-Air · 2 years ago

Much like MySpace widgets, I fear that developers working w/the Facebook's Platform will in effect be no more than an R&D effort for Facebook to see what works and what doesn't so they can build it themselves and monetize it. Afterall, why shouldn't they be the beneficiaries of revenue generating opportunities on their site? It's a good strategy since most scrappy start-ups are happy to have access to their user base for exporing new applications, and if they stay under the radar long enough they may each just build enough momentum to get some of the users to remain loyal to their service. Widget developers who count on placing those on MySpace, do so w/similar risk. These ecosystems make for nice talk, but are generally quite risky.

Anil · 2 years ago

I had written about the same Canadian phenomena and tipping point effect yesterday - http://adharni.wordpress.com/2007/05/18/faceboo....

Good analysis. I think they are still figuring out their Platform & monetization pieces.

On reading the FB blog, my impression was that Facebook itself is not sure why exactly it has taken off in Canada. The factors they mention make sense but somehow it seems it was more of a perfect storm of sorts. The real magic will be can they repeat it now in other lucrative markets?

Also, just because it takes off in a metro doesnt really mean that it will take off in the entire country. There are more micro-regional factors in play here. Lets see if FB does equally well in Vancouver.

dan · 2 years ago

face book is killing canada no doubt
I have yet to meet a student or anyone under 21 that doesnt use on.

Every computer lab i got too, everyone has facebook open and I've heard just as many conversations about fb addictions as i do about crackberries at my corporate job.

Dave · 2 years ago

Sometimes I worry about Facebook. I don't know a lot of people who are sending those $1 gifts or buying flyer space. The ads get in the way, despite their being micro-targeted to your profile.

I'm sure they'll eventually hit on something. Even after they pissed off well over half their users with the news feeds "scandal", we all knew that despite the uproar we weren't going anywhere. Now that's brand loyalty!

Karel Baloun · 2 years ago

I wrote "Inside Facebook" (www.fbbook.com) based on my year as an engineer inside facebook, and I strongly agree that there is a tipping point effect in social networks that secures ongoing use. It would be just as hard to displace facebook in colleges as it would be to display the yellow pages in business or google in search - not impossible but difficult. This is not true of myspace, because they do not dominate in any niche.. they have broadly diffused usage, which is less defensible, and less valuable.

I'm a strong believer in niche social applications, which is why after leaving Facebook I'm building PTrades, a social site for commodity traders, and I'll certainly implement F8 for any members on the site who are FB users, because it lets my application benefit from all of the personal information stored at facebook.

Amanda McCuaig · 2 years ago

I definitely noticed the facebook 'tip' earlier this spring, when my four closest friends all stopped using myspace and I was forced to join facebook to keep in touch with them when I moved across the country (from Vancouver to Toronto).

I resisted for quite awhile, fearful of its newsfeed, but once I discovered you could limit your profile AND there wasn't massive corportization (yet) I willingly joined. Myspace, which I had been faithfully addicted to for the previous year, just got too many ads. But even since joining facebook two months ago I'm becoming skeptical of how long I can use it as a communication haven safe from advertisement -- it will be interesting to see if (or for how long) the Marketplace stays in the hands of actual facebook users.