Ever since Facebook announced its open platform at the end of May, I have been receiving a flurry of emails from friends and blog buddies wanting to connect on Facebook. It could be just the 'in thing' with early adopter blogger types, but maybe it's more than that. It could be the tipping point for Facebook going mainstream.
Max Kalehoff from Nielsen BuzzMetrics has a good analysis of Facebook today. And next week Read/WriteWeb will explore just how open Facebook really is (as Sam Sethi twittered today, "It's a proprietary silo, no RDFa/mf's , no RSS and no Atom Publishing Protocol"). But for now, I want to do a quick poll of R/WW readers, to see how many are now members of Facebook. Up until a month or so ago, I wasn't. Indeed, today I was "poked" for the first time - by Joshua Porter (does this mean I have to buy him a drink next time I'm in the US?). Anyway here is the poll:
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I believe an option missing from the poll is, "Yes, I joined but I never log in to check anything".
The only time I log in to Facebook is when someone sends me a friend request. Besides that I'm almost never on Facebook.
Posted by: Ramesh Bhaskar | June 15, 2007 7:57 PM
I became a member recently, and I like it. It lets you connect without needing to constantly update or be afraid you will be removed. It also has major UI advantages over MySpace.
Posted by: David Mackey | June 15, 2007 10:42 PM
I'm curious to know how long ago they added the gmail functionality that allows you to add a whole lot of friends via gmail/etc contacts... I have a feeling it has a lot to do with that...
Posted by: Lisa H | June 16, 2007 12:40 AM
I couldn't live without it honestly - not because I love "Facebook" itself, but because ALL my friends use it. Therefore, I need to use it in order to stay in the loop. Otherwise, I have no idea what is going on, what events are coming up, what photos they are talking about, etc...
Cheers,
Aidan
www.MappingTheWeb.com
Posted by: Aidan Henry | June 16, 2007 1:30 AM
Facebook is far and away the most interesting property on the Internet right now. Actually, forget that, it's 'The Second Internet'. The first was about going to Google, this one is about going straight to people. And that's why it's so much fun to use, and also why it has such a ridiculous av. return rate.
Most importantly, much like Apple gear, Facebook just works.
Posted by: N.Cauldwell | June 16, 2007 3:25 AM
Have you all lost it or what? Facebook is the type of platform which is very addictive, when you've plenty of time on your hands and for the first 6 months... How many people having a day job are going to use it on the long-term (I'm talking about being an active user, not just registering)? How many people using it now will be using it in 6 months/1 year?
In all the comments, I see all the typical comments that all the social sites (friendster, myspace). This is very addictive, all my friends are on it. Yeah, for how long?
Facebook is like social pressure in high school: It feels like it's going to be forever, but eventually you get over it.
Posted by: julien | June 16, 2007 3:36 AM
Friends don't invite friends.
There's a Social Hermits group on Facebook. Social Hermits are at http://hermits.ning.com
I won't invite you to join or even to come by, but if you do, I'll be in my cave working on the theory of Social Hermitage.
Posted by: Ivan Pope | June 16, 2007 4:03 AM
Facebook nope. To many social network sites, most are just total waste of my time.
Posted by: eshop600 | June 16, 2007 4:35 AM
I didn't quite 'get' what all the fuss was about with social networking sites as I had both a My Space site and a Beebo site and hardly checked in on them. However, I recently got a Facebook site and now I'm addicted. I think it is the sheer number of other people that are now on it. I have made contact with people that I haven't heard from in years through Facebook and this shows no sign of slowing up. I have spent the day today adding various applications and totally wasted away the day (instead of doing some school work) but had a lot of fun doing so. I need to check in all the time to see what comments my friends have left me. I think My Space and Beebo seemed to have a much younger crowd but Facebook has other people my age (35) and the interface isn't too showy and is therefore preferable.
Posted by: Suzie Vesper | June 16, 2007 4:45 AM
I looked at Facebook about a year ago and thought it was all kids. (I'm 42, a kid is anyone younger than 30). So I was not interested in joining. That hasn't changed. It is in the news often as a place for teenaged angst and complaining about school and teachers. Where is the appeal to any adult in that? Unless you're a pervert looking for an easy mark I can't see many adults getting much out of Facebook.
Posted by: Laura | June 16, 2007 9:17 AM
Laura, you've obviously never used Facebook.
For what it's worth, a few teachers at my school use Facebook to collaborate for team activities. And others are planning to use it to collect assignments, since we're all online as it is.
Facebook is not like other social networks, because it actually focuses on friends, and because it's designed to expand. No other network has a strategy like that, possible exception of Bebo. It will almost certainly outlast the competition.
Posted by: Rory Marinich | June 16, 2007 9:22 AM
In Facebook it's great to have the possibility to have a closed community.
My big family is spread around the country and all over the world and we are using Facebook and loving it. We have old photos, new photos and all kinds of groups within Facebook. I am only using it for my family and am not bothered by anyone becouse I close my groups.
Posted by: Margret | June 16, 2007 5:29 PM
I have been on it for a while, only recently truly embracing it and using on a regular basis.
Now the open platform is huge and really has motivated me to get involved.
The business potential of facebook is not fully realized yet.
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