I haven’t said much of anything lately via my blog these past few months.
I’ve been working on an exciting new project that I hope to announce a little broadly once everything is sufficiently organized. Those in the know are asked to place their orders sooner rather than later 😉
So … until then, I’ll continue to comment on the state of media activities and their impact on digital strategy.
Dot-Com IPOs in the Face of Fakebook
There’s nothing about Facebook that’s ever really impressed me.
Over the last few years, I’ve documented its origins as part of a broader plan with DARPA to watch over everything we do, how people have no privacy when using this platform (or control thereof), how it’s relatively easy to create your own customized social networks using tools like BuddyPress (and how organizations like the CBC should skip middle men like Facebook) and how results with ad campaigns have been shameful to say the least.
That said, I’ve been keeping my mouth shut while watching Facebook self-implode after it’s much ballooned IPO because I simply didn’t want to get dragged into the mess it’s created.
Saying I told you so seems a little trite and mean, even for me.
What’s the Appeal?
What was the appeal with the Titanic? Many people crossed the Atlantic before in boats, but the Titantic happened to be a big one. Was it the gloss or the hype of the ocean-liner? The size?
Or were people sold a bill of goods that was already destined to go down before hitting its destination?
Facebook is in the same boat. Pardon the pun.
The flagrant disregard of its owners for privacy and the goals of creating a closed network within the ‘World Wide Web’ were an insult to thinking digital practitioners and I’m glad to see that more than $21 billion has been wiped off the market value of Facebook over the last week.
All I can ask is that a class action suit on behalf of shareholders grabs the rest before nothing’s left to grab.
The Implications for Strategy
Unfortunately, Facebook still attracts a lot of attention, much like a 6-car collision attracts rubber-neckers on the highway.
However, my favourites are the following:
- Your Own Perfectly Functioning Web Site (Dammit!)
- Everything Google (Places, Webmaster Tools, Analytics, Plus, etc)
You can have a sound digital strategy without pushing your traffic away to a third-party like Facebook.
The first two are essential to capturing and harvesting traffic related to your web site. The other two don’t require a lot of maintenance and are good long-shots for integrating with various communities.
Bill Wittur
Bottree Digital Services
Get Found Online