Evolution or greed

by Julia Jakobsen

First off, I would like to introduce myself (I have been informed that this is the norm) - my name is Julia Jakobsen, and I am new intern here at Quirk. I really look forward to getting to know the crew here and to discovering more about the exciting and ever-changing world of eMarketing.

Besides from being an intern, I am a pseudo-rockstar - my band is called Jules & the Fools - our website will be up and running soon, the blog is up already though; we also have a MySpace page and Facebook group. Okay, enough shameless self-promoting, there are more important things than me going on in the blogosphere (yes, it is true).

According to Mashable, Facebook is on the brink of change. In fact, they have commenced beta testing of a new system that will let applications accept money for their services as a Facebook supported service. Some may claim that Facebook is following in the footsteps of the world's oldest profession… prostitution. Others call it the spoils/glory of capitalism and the free market. Whichever side you're on; it could mean big things for Facebook and the world of eCommerce.

As I see it, it can affect us (the users) in 2 ways. One will be that we are going to have to pay for applications. Some people may be of the opinion that this can only be an incentive to create better applications (or no one would pay for them), but I like my Facebook applications free (and won't pay for them anyway, unless they’re groundbreakingly awesome).

The other option, and the one causing waves (or brow furrows) is that Facebook will have the potential to become one extremely interconnected shopping mall. Think of it as a big shopping experience with all your 'friends'. But is that really so appealing?
For one, Facebook hasn't exactly proven itself worthy of trust when it comes to privacy (the recent public commentary on Beacon is nothing short of scathing). Secondly, people on Facebook are showing off enough (Who has the most friends? Who has the most wall post? Who can get the high score on Texas Hold'em Poker?) - do they really need another forum for egotripping and snobbery? Additionally, with Facebook increasingly being used as a powerful networking tool, it will be interesting to see what exactly people are willing to buy in front of spectators that are not only your best friends, but potentially, your employers.

With their market of 55 million, watch this space as the revolution unfolds.

2007/12/20 | permalink | comments (2) | trackbacks (0)

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