Facebook equals Crack Cocaine. But much, much worse.
You've all heard about Facebook, the latest and greatest social networking site. You may not know how incredibly popular it is in Canada - more so than anywhere else in the world, actually, even though it started in the US and was unavailable to a lot of Canadian schools (school networks being the only way to join Facebook until last fall). What is it about Facebook in particular that seems to be resonating so strongly with Canadians? My guess is that we like community building tools more than others and that we appreciate the relative Spartan-ness of it as well: it's very simple to connect to and keep up to date with everyone in your network using Facebook, more so than with any other social networking site.
All that being said, we're now using it at Youthography for everything from our own group, to housing a promotion we're doing called Rockstar Hotel, to our own personal pages.
Whether or not it lasts remains to be seen: after all, it wasn't too long ago that Friendster was occupying the same space for many of us, and it's simply not as popular with young Canadians as it once was. We've been speaking forever - or, at least, for a few years, about the blurring between our off-and-0n-line lives, about the increasing connection between personal lives and work, and about the breaking down of barriers that used to keep different parts of our lives separate from each other. Facebook is just the next step forward: a single place, online, that lets you connect to all of the things that matter to you.
For Youthography's official perspective, check out our latest newsletter. The numbers are amazing. And it's only a matter of time before someone makes the owners of this thing an offer they can't refuse: as it stands, there are rumours that it's bringing in $50 million a month in revenue right now (through sponsored groups and other forms of marketing) and that they have already refused an offer for three quarters of a billion dollars. Which may be the most amazing number of them all.
All that being said, we're now using it at Youthography for everything from our own group, to housing a promotion we're doing called Rockstar Hotel, to our own personal pages.
Whether or not it lasts remains to be seen: after all, it wasn't too long ago that Friendster was occupying the same space for many of us, and it's simply not as popular with young Canadians as it once was. We've been speaking forever - or, at least, for a few years, about the blurring between our off-and-0n-line lives, about the increasing connection between personal lives and work, and about the breaking down of barriers that used to keep different parts of our lives separate from each other. Facebook is just the next step forward: a single place, online, that lets you connect to all of the things that matter to you.
For Youthography's official perspective, check out our latest newsletter. The numbers are amazing. And it's only a matter of time before someone makes the owners of this thing an offer they can't refuse: as it stands, there are rumours that it's bringing in $50 million a month in revenue right now (through sponsored groups and other forms of marketing) and that they have already refused an offer for three quarters of a billion dollars. Which may be the most amazing number of them all.
Labels: Communication, Pop Culture, The Interweb
1 Comments:
i've thought that the restrictions of facebook, or rather the formatting, might appeal to a canadian sensibility. any stats on the saturation of the market in canada?
and does this mean that canadians are more conducive to integrating this new "social operating system"? and if so, what does that MEAN?
see you later. love you lots.
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