I kind of jumped in on a discussion between Steve Rubel and Robert Scoble tonight. It involved Facebook as a marketing channel. Steve Rubel, as far as I can determine, seems to think that Facebook is a marketing channel that will pass, not an especially big deal. Scoble, like me, is all over Facebook. I recently posted about this in Is Myspace getting ditched?. I can sort of see both sides of the argument, though I am partial to one.
- steverubel: I hate getting email on Facebook
- Scobleizer: @steverubel hates getting email on Facebook. Oh, Steve, wait until you start getting videos! I think I’ll send one to you right now. Heheh.
- Scobleizer: @steverubel: I beat you. I hate ALL email. Actually the threading over on Facebook is pretty nice.
- shaine: @Scobleizer is evil with rubelizer
- steverubel: Scoble sends me a video email in response 30 seconds later. I see it all as another gimic to get me to spend time there.
- steverubel: Facebook is like a roach motel. Everything goes in, nothing comes out.
- Scobleizer: @steverubel: I said that yesterday on my blog: that Facebook is a data roach motel.
- Scobleizer: @steverubel: of course email is a gimmick to get you to spend more time on Facebook! Facebook is gonna end up owning our souls.
- shaine: It’s funny. I’m reading the chapter in The New Influencers with Steve Rubel as social media guru. Yet he no like facebook. What?
- steverubel: I think Facebook is another fascination in Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS). Remember when podcasting was papa? No more. http://tinyurl.com/2h6hg
- Scobleizer: I accidentally hit “ignore” on a FB friend request and now I feel guilty. Damn Facebook. Heheh.
- steverubel: @scobleizer Facebook’s demise will come when someone does everything they do except allow it to go out and come in. Disc: MySpace = client
- steverubel: It’s time we stop focusing on channels. The REAL news here is social change. Channels make it happen and they will always evolve.
- Shaine: Never mind. Rubel just disclosed myspace is a client.
- steverubel: I focus much more of my time these days thinking about how tech changes culture and thus my biz. You can see it in my blog.
- shaine: @steverubel but which channel will be the conduit for change?
- steverubel: @ikepigot I will bet you a plate of burgers that we won’t be talking about Facebook in three years as much as today.
- Scobleizer: @steverubel: oh, that’s true. Three years from now we’ll be talking about something else. Heck, three weeks from now we probably will.
- steverubel: My advice - focus on people. The tech empowers people and it will change. Sites come and go. Excuse me while I update my Tripod page.
- shaine: @steverubel If that’s the case, why wait three years? Jump on now while it’s hot.
- shaine: Almost everybody I know is on twitter and facebook. If they jump, so shall I. Why dog Facebook?
- steverubel: Wow. The Spice Girls are doing a live chat tonight on AOL Central? Geez. What would I do without this wonderful app? GTG. TTFN.
- shaine: Was that a weasel out?
- shaine: I’m just going to skip chapter 7 in The New Influencers. Bad vibes.
- newmediajim: @steverubel you’re absolutely right, focus on people!
- steverubel: Channels change. Very few sites today will be powerhouses in 10 years. I am “back in school” - sociology and history are my fave subjects.
- Scobleizer: @steverubel: where I disagree with you is that Facebook has built an ecosystem. Er, a platform. That COULD stick around 10 years.
- shaine: @steverubel if channels change, shouldn’t you? Doesn’t a good marketer use the most effective channel at the time? Why wait?
- steverubel: @scobleizer Until someone will build an ecosystem that’s even more open or a standard emerges! Remember AOL’s programming environment?
- steverubel: @shaine Oh I definitely agree channels are important. It’s where action happens and audiences aggregate. My point is this will always change
- shaine: @steverubel - I agree that channels change.
- shaine: @steverubel But Facebook is where it’s beginning to happen. I’ll jump as soon as something better comes.
- Scobleizer: @scobleizer: PR always controls. Always! Heheh. The amazing thing is they let me work at Microsoft without getting too involved.
- steverubel: @shaine If you’re still on Facebook in 2017 as much as today I will buy you an iPhone (this year’s version!)
- shaine: @steverubel By the way, I really hate myspace’s custom profiles. Most of my Facebook friends do too. If that could be switched off…maybe.
- shaine: @steverubel Not an iphone fan. Maybe a T-mobile Wing.
- shaine: @steverubel I probably will NOT be on Facebook in 2017. Something better WILL come along. My friends are on FB for now.
From there Scoble and Ruble had some banter about breathing aparatuses.
After having read that, I should tell you that I am not exactly loyal to Facebook. At this point, it is just a much better alternative to Myspace. In my opinion, Myspace messed up by allowing people to add browser-crashing customizations to their pages. Another advantage that Facebook has is that when you log in, you know what your friends are doing on your home page. You don’t have to visit their profiles to find out. If something better than Facebook comes along, you bet your pants I’ll go to that. All Myspace has to do is give ME the option to turn off all the crap people add to their pages. In the meantime, Facebook is the channel of choice by a growing number of people.
As marketers, what should we do? Do we stick to a channel that is diminishing? Do we just sit on our hands during change? Wouldn’t it make sense to diversify your channels during the transition? Although I’m not particularly in love with Facebook, it is the best way for me to share things with my friends and my audience. It’s like fishing. You go where the fish are; you don’t just sit there and hope they come to you.
So to sum it up, I do agree that channels change. I just don’t understand why Steve Rubel is ready to downplay growing channel. Are we to simply ignore the potential to market in a channel just because it might be a passing fad? I remember when Myspace was the hot thing. It seems as though all the New Influencers are moving to Facebook. When everybody else moves to the new fad, I’ll be there. In the meantime, Facebook is where things are happening. When society changes, so will online marketing.
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By the way, I still wound up reading chapter 7 of The New Influencers. Steve Rubel is right in stating that Facebook is merely a channel. The channel does not create value, it is people.
As a marketing tool, I tried to understand the demographics enjoyed by Facebook.In my opinion, the growth of Facebook is across age groups.I sincerely do feel that it’s a networking site that will do very well in terms of users and advertisers as well.
You can read my take on the demographics here:http://www.mosaic-service.com/blog/
I have created a website for people who have been Facebook Disabled who are frustrated with the lack of customer support. This site is created as a community site for people who post their current issues with facebook.com
http://www.facebookdisable.com/
http://www.facebookdisable.com/forum/
I’m going to have to agree with Scoble and you, Facebook is definitely a viable marketing channel. Sure it will take some time to develop, but it will get there!
I love Scoble’s comment…
“I accidentally hit “ignore” on a FB friend request and now I feel guilty. Damn Facebook. Heheh”
HAHA he’s hilarious
Cheers
It seems that Facebook is doing its best, lately, to limit non-sanctioned marketing on their platform. I’ve started using them less and less.
Well in my opinion facebook is great site, everybody is running after web2.0 marketing. I have one question though. WHAT YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THE FACEBOOK IN 5 YEARS? it is just a trend? falls or Up?
In 5 years? Wow, that’s ages in Internet time. Facebook will probably be one of SEVERAL channels. Scoble recently had a post in which he highlights one social media site that is underhyped despite having a massive user base. The difference between Meebo and Facebook is that the blogeratti are not there, yet a large chunk of other people are.
In my opinion, I see all this as neighborhoods. You don’t live in the same neighborhood as all your friends. You can spend most of your time in your favorite social media site and occasionally visit your friends’ neighborhoods. I don’t think you necessarily have to maintain a presence in all of them.
Boy I have to say that MySpace is just plain irritating and Facebook is pretty useless in general. I like playing Scrabulous, and while it wasn’t as irritating as MySpace, it still is full of annoying ads and I absolutely detest the poking and plethora of applications.
The true viable platform out there for real, substantive, online based apps is Salesforce.com. Otherwise this other stuff is just a bunch of white noise IMHO.
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