Who Are Your Facebook “Your Friends”
….and why do you have them?
Saturday morning, drinking coffee, watching Loren Feldman wonder yet again why Facebook is so popular - he contends the real social media tools are blogs and RSS. One comment that grabbed my attention was something about how people create Facebook networks that include people they barely know.
The question is: why? Maybe it’s an ego thing where you’re in a race to test your popularity by collecting as many friends as possible - even some of the people looking to join are “marginal” friends or even strangers. Hell, they look cute, let’s invite ‘em! Perhaps it has to do with a goal to expand a business network using another vehicle, although once you connect with a business colleague, it doesn’t strike me there’s much going on than exchanging e-mail, invitations to Facebook applications, and joining groups that don’t seem to have much of a purpose.
While I still the finding Facebook interesting from an economics and investment standpoint, my fascination with it as a social media tool is losing steam. Maybe it’s the friend requests recently from people who I don’t know and how absolutely no connection; maybe it’s because I wonder why people are so willing to share details of their lives (including photographs) within a network where privacy seems to be becoming more of a issue given the recent decision to let search engines in the door; or maybe I’m Facebook-ed out having spent far too much time on it.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Facebook is wonderful tool for many people but I also think many people are going to question what they’re doing there and why. It’s not going to stop Facebook’s multi-billion dollar exit or user growth but maybe it’s time to take a sober second look at Facebook and why you use it.
Technorati Tags: Facebook
September 15th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
The point is that even if you barely know them, “tomorrow” they could be useful for you. Facebook as well as other popular social networks like Linkedin, are useful to find people, for wathever reason you need them.
September 16th, 2007 at 6:51 am
Fair enough point. I guess if I had to do Facebook all over again, I’d create two profiles: a business-only profile where I’d have an open-door friend policy; and a personal profile that would be limited to people I really knew.
September 23rd, 2007 at 11:03 pm
What does letting search engines in the door have to do with photographs and other personal information? The new search engine access doesn’t make these things any more accessible to people to whom you have not already given access.