FaceBook - head of another DotCom crash?
Discussion
Murph7355 said:
I'm really the wrong demographic I think (41, too old 
). But I strongly suspect people just ignore the ads.
I also strongly suspect that FB will become unfashionable as quickly as it became fashionable. Especially if they try to leverage those "billion" users' details, pump them full of ads, try charging for use or have technical issues (poor apps, security problems etc).
I agree ). But I strongly suspect people just ignore the ads.I also strongly suspect that FB will become unfashionable as quickly as it became fashionable. Especially if they try to leverage those "billion" users' details, pump them full of ads, try charging for use or have technical issues (poor apps, security problems etc).
I'm 31 and think I'm probably past their key demographic. Although I know of many grandparents now using it to view grandchildren, for example. But anyway, I do wonder if the bubble will burst and they're using this floatation to generate as much cash as they can before it does so. It seems a lot for a company making 'only' $1bn a year.
Murph7355 said:
I would have thought an organisation like GM would be all about brand awareness, and the importance of getting to people early.
I would also have thought they employ armies of people to analyse such things.
And yet they've withdrawn?
I'm really the wrong demographic I think (41, too old). But I strongly suspect people just ignore the ads.
I also strongly suspect that FB will become unfashionable as quickly as it became fashionable. Especially if they try to leverage those "billion" users' details, pump them full of ads, try charging for use or have technical issues (poor apps, security problems etc).
I can't comment on whether FB will go out of fashion or something new will appear as I've never used any of these new things. I would also have thought they employ armies of people to analyse such things.
And yet they've withdrawn?
I'm really the wrong demographic I think (41, too old
). But I strongly suspect people just ignore the ads.I also strongly suspect that FB will become unfashionable as quickly as it became fashionable. Especially if they try to leverage those "billion" users' details, pump them full of ads, try charging for use or have technical issues (poor apps, security problems etc).
However, they will protect themselves from appearing competition by simply being able to buy anything that looks threatening.
Re advertising I'm sure many people do not 'look' at the adverts but they still 'see' them. It's still an image lodged in the brain and working on brand awareness and crowd theory.
I would imagine that GM's stance is that their product is firstly bought by mature males which is probably a smaller demographic on FB. And secondly, the car industry is heavily catered for already re marketing and that marketing (between specific tv shows, in specific magazines etc) is far more rewarding than trying to drill down on FB member details to find only those people who are potential customers.
However, take a brand that targets say young girls or women and FB probably becomes quite powerful. If every time a woman uses FB she unwittingly registers an image of Cheryl Cole and her mind knows that she is the face of L'Oriel then the next time she is in Boots looking for product she will be drawn to theirs without even knowing why.
DonkeyApple said:
They are large enough and sufficiently global to launch their own currency. 
Why bugger about competing against Paypal when you could completely reinvent the way the next generation process payments on the web and kill Paypal and control massive flows.
My money is on a Face Book Dollar being issued and asset backed. It could easily become the single currency of a mobile generation.
Hold FBDs and wherever you are you can pay electronically.
Currencies to date have been rooted in geography. FB is global. People have been trying to make a global currency for decades. Other people have been trying to make an Internet currency. FB has the weight to combine the two.
Have you been drinking this morning DA? Why bugger about competing against Paypal when you could completely reinvent the way the next generation process payments on the web and kill Paypal and control massive flows.
My money is on a Face Book Dollar being issued and asset backed. It could easily become the single currency of a mobile generation.
Hold FBDs and wherever you are you can pay electronically.
Currencies to date have been rooted in geography. FB is global. People have been trying to make a global currency for decades. Other people have been trying to make an Internet currency. FB has the weight to combine the two.
Perhaps I lack vision, but I can't see them or anyone else creating their own currency (outside of dweebs playing online fantasy games and the like). Perhaps they could do some manner of Nectar points type gig, but can you really see retailers
accepting FBDs in lieu of real money? Nah. Never. FB are not big enough without it having some means of users topping up their account with real money. Which is Paypal...
Murph7355 said:
Have you been drinking this morning DA?
Perhaps I lack vision, but I can't see them or anyone else creating their own currency (outside of dweebs playing online fantasy games and the like). Perhaps they could do some manner of Nectar points type gig, but can you really see retailers
accepting FBDs in lieu of real money? Nah. Never. FB are not big enough without it having some means of users topping up their account with real money. Which is Paypal...
I'm looking after my kids today so I could do with a drink. Perhaps I lack vision, but I can't see them or anyone else creating their own currency (outside of dweebs playing online fantasy games and the like). Perhaps they could do some manner of Nectar points type gig, but can you really see retailers
accepting FBDs in lieu of real money? Nah. Never. FB are not big enough without it having some means of users topping up their account with real money. Which is Paypal...
A non geographic, non political currency will happen. It is just a matter of time.
We have several techs all converging and bringing specific requirements with them that make such a currency essential in order for these markets to grow.
Online gaming has shown that not only can such a currency exist but that people can run businesses based on them. This means that once money is crossed in that currency can exist without the need to keep crossing it back and forward.
So, if we look at a few areas which already exist but could be massively improved by going down this route:
The Western Union model. Private individuals sent billions a day around the world using this system but WU extract a hefty fee for both accepting and handing out physical cash and also for the fx transaction. Sending electronically in a single currency that can be used anywhere destroys this existing model.
Next look at Zopa. This provides a model for people to generate interest on their money and has huge social aspects and again fits with the modern generation of web users.
UKASH have tried to start the ball rolling on this but to really work it needs a formal currency with relevant pairs in the market.
We also have banks moving as fast as possible to process payments by mobile device.
And finally, by being a formal currency absolutely any shop in the world can suddenly accept payments in it. So just as you can add EUR currency accepting to any online shop so could you FBD.
A non geographic currency is the missing link for the Internet and today's culture but it needs someone like FB or Google with their global, non political and 'independent' nature to create it. Whoever does will earn more income than you could shake a shotty stick at.
DonkeyApple said:
A non geographic currency is the missing link for the Internet and today's culture but it needs someone like FB or Google with their global, non political and 'independent' nature to create it. Whoever does will earn more income than you could shake a shotty stick at.
I agree that there is a demand for such a currency but I can't see governments letting it get too much traction. It could undermine sovereign currencies and prevent them borrowing or inflating their way out of trouble.theaxe said:
I agree that there is a demand for such a currency but I can't see governments letting it get too much traction. It could undermine sovereign currencies and prevent them borrowing or inflating their way out of trouble.
It wouldn't be loved but I doubt it would be any different from other currencies in this regard. The problem currently with ethereal currencies is that they are brilliant for money laundering and under the radar activity. By creating the solution as a formal currency you fall into the existing system which would appease governments.
Lots of people sit on more than one currency at the moment, even more if you consider that airmiles and nectar points are currencies so the leap to a global society which uses both their local currency in the conventional way and a real Internet currency for online activity and more is relatively realistic.
theaxe said:
I agree that there is a demand for such a currency but I can't see governments letting it get too much traction. It could undermine sovereign currencies and prevent them borrowing or inflating their way out of trouble.
It's also relevant to consider that in many countries the local economies run on paper USD. As these economies adopt more tech the advantages to people being able to store this transactional wealth on a mobile phone and lose risk of theft and also huge transfer costs can't be underestimated. Such a currency could feasibly replace the USD in developing markets. rohrl said:
How's MySpace doing these days?
Same way as Bebo and friends reunited. ie dead.Maybe a relaunch as deadspace?
I think one of the ideas is to target mobile advertising by either popup adverts or SMS. Yeah that will go down well. I would be most chuffed to get 10 'cheaper car insurance' adverts per day.
IF they are SMS I can see people removing their number and popups are OK but if they get in the way of chatting I can see people ditching it for windows messenger.
Just waiting for the first penis advert being sent to a 12 year old due to them lying about their age. (need to be older that 13 for facebook).
What does shock me is that the data WILL be sold to unscrupulous companies chasing people.
http://www.businessinsider.com/data-google-totally...
Interesting article on Facebook vs Google ad revenues
Interesting article on Facebook vs Google ad revenues
This made me laugh http://www.borowitzreport.com/2012/05/17/a-letter-...
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