When Martin Bryant at The Next Web says that the importance of what Facebook announced today shouldn’t be ignored and that we do ignore the announcements at our own peril he is absolutely correct.
In one simple keynote speech Mark Zuckerberg has served notice to the Web in general and bloggers specifically that Facebook wants to own the Web and you will help them do that because if you don’t … well, don’t expect to be successful or to experience any real growth because Facebook now has the keys to your future.
Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb is wondering if this next generation Borg machine is really a deal with the devil and Liz Gannes at GigaOM wonders if there is enough trust to go around for people to be willing to live in a Facebook powered Web.
To Marshall I would say that the average web user won’t see as it as any deal with the devil but bloggers on the other hand may have no choice but to sign on the dotted line. As to Liz’s question – my only answer would be that anyone who trusts Facebook is a fool. They have already proved more than once that the biggest obstacle they face is our warped concern over our privacy and that they will do whatever they have to in order to shift the bar on this. Today was just another example of them shifting the bar while couching everything that they are doing in terms that they are doing it for the betterment of the web and the users.
Don’t be fooled.Seriously.
Facebook is only concerned about two things. Amassing the biggest profile database in the world and to convert that into a sickening amount of money. Today’s announcements where just the opening salvo on their march to integrate themselves so deeply in the web that we can’t do without them.
For the users I have to admit the pull is immense and to a very large degree makes sense. For them today was a victory of simplicity and further confirmation that Facebook wants to make their lives easier.
Regardless of where they might be on the web for the rare times they venture outside of the safe confines of Facebook they know that everything they do will safely make it back to their Facebook streams for everyone to see. They rest easy knowing that no more will they lose track of whet their friends are doing should they also venture outside of the wall.
However for me, both as a blogger and as person who loves the web, Facebook is the constant Faustian bargain. I understand what their purpose is and while the lover of the web part of the web rails against what they are doing the blogger part of me see the inevitability of dipping the pen in blood and signing on the dotted line.
The fact is that as Facebook continues to grow and insinuate itself into the fabric of the Web to the degree that today’s announcement will let it, users – our readers – are going to come to expect all those Facebook goodies to show up on all the pages they visit. They are going to want the familiarity and so-called ease of interaction that Facebook provides. So when they come across a blog – your blog, my blog, and don’t see those familiar landmarks they won’t stick around.
Facebook understands this and is counting on this. So we, as bloggers with families to feed or dreams to express, are put in the position to decide if we can live without Facebook having that kind of control or where we start adding all those cool social plugins. It’s not an easy decision and anyone who says it is … well .. they are only fooling themselves.
I know that prior to today I was one step away from deleting my Facebook account because quite frankly I don’t trust them and I feel that their affect on the Web is dangerous. After today though … well .. I’m not sure what to do.
I do know thought that I trust them even less and I fear that they are truly stealing our Web away from us.
Read Different – Escaping the Competitive Herd by Youngme Moon, and then delete your facebook account.
I don’t think we can throw in the towel that quickly. The good news, from a friend of ours, is that Facebook usually blows it on the first round. Perhaps there will be an uprising that prevents them from taking control of the social net. I still hope that a couple hundred thousand users will wise up, but that seems unlikely. It will be up to those who passionately care about OPEN to say no, not this time. The engagement of the average Facebook user isn’t that of a blog reader, podcast subscriber or even an rss feed reader. This is a mass scan audience at Facebook often distracted with planting things in their virtual dirt. Remember, Myspace was once the go-to place, AOL was the net for millions and Apple was the darling in everyones eyes. Things change, we must continue to be the voice of reason in an idiotic rush to give over control to a dating site.
.-= Michael Sean Wright´s last blog ..Chirp This =-.
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