Facebook: A solidified source of revenue for advertising

 

Unless you’ve been hiding in aforementioned cave, you would have noticed a whole lot of changes made to the Facebook interface. These aren’t to frustrate those who thrive on familiarity – they are to bring the valuable stuff to the surface – by making sharing more powerful and filtering info more finely. So whether you’re “oohing” or “meh-ing” over these new changes as you go about your daily Facebook escapades – remember that Marc Zuckerberg is plucking data like it’s a Christmas turkey. 

Essentially, all of these changes have a very specific purpose – to create the ideal environment for other companies to have no choice but jump on this burgeoning bandwagon. To name a few, Yahoo, The Washington Post as well as The Daily. 

Hey, come here often? 

It comes down to the fact that on Facebook, you’ve given Mr Z all the info he needs – what you’re reading or watching, what you’re enjoying and what you’re on the lookout for. This valuable data (see plucked turkey reference) lets his workforce of young geeks  bright sparks get all they need to know about our habits and desires, and in turn, use this to sell more fine-tuned advertising. 

One could say that with these new changes, Facebook now incorporates features of Google Plus, About.me, Tumblr and Twitter. This mafia Don is also stepping on toes of Netflix, too. Owch. Not as owch, though, as the notion that Facebook could soon see more integration into TV… Where does that take us? More opportunity for deep advertiser links, TV apps, commerce, continent recommendations and generally, more CHA CHING! After all according to this article from Gallaughter.com, “there’s a cut in there for cable providers, TV stations, a promise of pay-per-performance ads, targeted ads, commerce-from-the-couch, and more”. 

In closing… 

For those cave dwellers people who think that it’s just a passing fad - it’s been predicted that Facebook, as a firm, will be discussed in business schools for years. While Facebook solidifying themselves as the conqueror of the advertising revenue mountain may not be a story for the grandkids, it’s still definitely worth noting. And if you do want to share it with the grandkids, there’s always Facebook Timeline. 

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