With Facebook’s new IPO that that features Mark Zuckerberg retaining operational control of the company, attention has refocused on how Facebook plans to grow its business moving forward. I’m of the opinion that Facebook isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I’m my class today, we talked about the virtues of Google + as an alternative, but with nobody on this new social networking alternative, there is a strong aversion to join up. How google resolves this problem will determine how much it can compete with Facebook.
But for now, the “sharing train” is leaving the station and of critical concern for everyone is whether to “get on board” (e.g. thrust oneself headlong into sharing) or to resist. A defining battle going forward re: social networking is how you can resist. It’s not as easy as it sounds. If you’re friends and family are on Facebook, does option out make you an anachronism within your networks? You can become the crumudgeon poster who sounds warning bells on your status updates, but that will make you a “buzz kill” pretty quick. Facebook is betting that you won’t resist….that you can’t resist. This is both brilliant and insidious…. they’ve created a good that is as addictive as a drug.. social connection. Stay tuned 🙂
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