I guess so but I guess I should reiterate. Nothing special about Facebook, it's just timing of the silly & juvenile social networking trend. The space itself has grown and has become entrenched in current culture. Maybe it will get bigger or maybe it has plateaued, as many users are growing of it. Regardless, Facebook's timing is its key reason for the current success. However, users of these sites are very finicky. Friendster was first and was actually better designed than Myspace but it was too early. Then Myspace hit. Now Facebook. Next Facebook won't be cool, it will be old and next new site will be the new star. Quite a number of start-ups are already formulating the new hot social networking site, many of which would be direct competitors to Facebook and some are integrators (like that nonsense FourSquares). All along, the technology geared specifically for these sites has been improving. Question is whether Facebook can actually earn any money while it is riding the wave. Mark Zuckerberg is saying they are, but he is a complete scumbag & utter liar, so who knows. I do know that the data that is collected by Facebook is worth money and is being monetized. Is it worth $50 Billion? Well at one point, Myspace was worth billions, or some insane figure. Now it is a loser. So there you go.
And again . . . I agree . . . even with Zuckerburg being a scumbag. The key to the success of Facebook is the foundation of what the scumbag created and that is networking in general. Whether Zuckerburg can find a way to keep the attention span of a vast cross section of the masses is yet to be determined. Right now it is a toy. My feeling is that unless he hires a large group of internet professionals to draw from, his days are numbered. Could that happen, sure but we will see if his ego gets in the way. Right now Facebook is worth a tidy sum because of the POTENTIAL but the value is there right now none-the-less. I personally don't think Zucky has the foresight to take Facebook to the next level, that is why I said the next big thing is about 8 - 9 months away.
I know little about zuckerburg and so won't comment on him personaly. However, can you describe what you think the "next level" that can be mastered by someone else in 9 months and sweep facebook way? Perhaps you think the next level is about management luck or insight while i think it is technological? I personally find facebook uninteresting. It is a technological mk I(.5) prototype. I actually think one of its key strengths that may allow it to persist is the habitual behaviour of the people that use it (joe blow). Unseating facebook from its social networking throne won't be a simple case of a technological hurricane blowing through town. i suspect that is seen as part of its implied value alongside the memory of Google's moonshot after its IPO. Thx D
No, no, NO. I won't accept that Goldman is trying to pump anything they might own in order to sell to their clients (new or old). Surely everyone must have read Goldman's business ehtics from their website, the foundations the firm is built on. Number 1 is - Our clients will and will always come first Got to love Wall Street sometimes.
People are becoming aware of the main weaknesses of Facebook - a lot of "supposed to be friends" are not really friends at all. They do not even bother to make a comment in your status, say "hi" to you, sympathize you when you are sick or having an accident - despite having a list of hundreds of friends. These friends are not real friends, they are there to self-inflate their ego, boast themselves which you thought are friends at first. I mean most of these persons meet with you personally before. But its the "talking" and "face to face" that is lacking. And the result is that people cannot talk more and will just talk about themselves all the time. It is a sickening experience. My prediction- Facebook will surely lost a lot of users in the coming years.