"Finally canceled my Facebook account today. That was long overdue."
Sites built upon user-generated content are vulnerable. Any day people can pick up and take their content elsewhere, or stop playing entirely. In other words, unless people have a reason to go to your site, unless it adds value to their lives without any input from themselves, it’s probably just a matter of time before it fades away and possibly doesn’t even radiate. Let’s see, we’ve got MySpace and Plaxo and Friendster…never mind GeoCities and…
Sure, there are some bits added onto Facebook, that glom on to the assembled audience and make money, but this is no different from the concession stand at a rock concert or a sporting event. Sure, people need to eat and drink, but they don’t need to do it at the show or the game.
Facebook’s signups have recently slumped. Then again, who doesn’t have an account? Then again, have you used your RAZR or Razor, the phone or the scooter, recently? How about that Hula Hoop?
People want to connect. But after you’ve hooked back up with everybody you’ve ever met, then what? And Facebook’s problem has always been profitability. I may want to go and connect, but explain to me why I want to buy there too? And Facebook counters this by being the enemy instead of the friend, changing privacy controls essentially without notice, angering users.
There’s absolutely no reason why Facebook needs to survive.
I’m not saying it won’t. But I am saying that those who believe it’s the end all and be all, that it can’t die, are wrong.
It’s hard to replicate Amazon’s distribution system, never mind the infrastructure of its Website.
And never mind Apple’s stores, the products Apple purveys are the result of tons of R&D. And Apple has to keep on topping itself, coming up with new products, or it’s…Microsoft.
In other words, iPod desire has been replaced by phone desire. Something Apple understands but the music industry does not, record labels still wish people would buy CDs, at least albums, they refuse to cannibalize their past to survive in the future.
But at least record companies are selling something. I.e. music. What exactly does Facebook sell again?
It’s no different from a hot club. A place for everybody to gather before they look at each other and say "Nobody goes there anymore." and move on.
Facebook should have gone public eons ago. That was MySpace’s mistake. Thinking it would last. Give Atlantic credit. They whored out Jewel and overexposed her and made all their money up front. Bad for her career but good for business, Atlantic’s business.
Yes, label business and career interests often don’t align.
Just like Facebook’s interests and those of the public often do not.
There’s really no there there.
