Nick Carr on the recently announced Facebook ad platform:
Facebook, which distinguished itself by being the anti-MySpace, is now determined to out-MySpace MySpace. It’s a nifty system: First you get your users to entrust their personal data to you, and then you not only sell that data to advertisers but you get the users to be the vector for the ads. And what do the users get in return? An animated Sprite Sips character to interact with.
I’m becoming more and more uncomfortable with how Facebook is evolving. Sure, the company needs to make money, but somehow it feels like they’re rushing headlong towards the big payout, selling out their users as mere ad consumers.
Ultimately, you have to give your users added value, otherwise they’ll just move on.