

The more facebook changes, the more I want to start my own - quizbiz

The more facebook changes, the more I want to start my own. Facebook is not evolving. It is turning away from college social networking and becoming just a platform for tid bids. No longer a website to surf but rather just a window to check on.<p>Am I the only one that is ready to move on?
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mcav
As far as social networking sites go, I think Facebook has done well: They
maintain the largest database of former/current contacts available, while
encouraging a "real name" policy so that I always know who I'm talking to (as
opposed to a site filled with pseudonyms). While the Applications fad muddled
the waters, I think Facebook has been shifting to a much more consistent model
with their latest News Feed. It doesn't seem as hodgepodged together as it
used to.

If there was something better, I'd move. But if my friends don't move, that
question is largely irrelevant. So many students today have joined Facebook
that it would take something extraordinary to move enough of them to another
site to make it worth my while.

That's the biggest problem I see here: When a social networking site like
Facebook captures so much attention and growth, it will take a major blunder
or a revolutionary competitor to move enough people away. We may be stuck with
Facebook for a long while, because they _aren't bad enough_ to warrant change
for _most_ users.

The battle for this generation of social networks has been won. The next site
that wants to capture users will either have to aim for the next generation
(read: younger) of students, or will have to incorporate something very new. I
don't know what that is -- features I'd like to see would include photo face-
recognition, GPS location info, etc. More _presence_ , to enable users to
interact with others in real life. Yet that may only arrive as devices like
the iPhone become the rule, rather than the exception.

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cookiecaper
I'm not sure it would take something extraordinary ... just something else.
I've seen these cycle through universal usage a lot: LiveJournal, Xanga,
Friendster, MySpace and Facebook have all come in and out of vogue among the
hordes I'm acquainted with. Perhaps it's generational, or perhaps it's
something else, but it seems that every three or four years something
supplants the old gathering place. It'll be interesting to see if Facebook
stays at the top of the wave longer; I think there's a case that it's
different and/or better and therefore less likely to lose audience, but I
dunno. I do know that many girls I know can spend hours upon hours upon hours
looking at Facebook every single night, whereas I don't really notice the same
effect in males.

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quizbiz
About niche based social networking?

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whughes
Social networking isn't search. It's much harder to change social networks
than OSes or browsers or what have you. If you plan on switching, you have to
get all your friends to sign up and use the service.. and then they have to
get all their friends to make it worthwhile.. ad nauseam. This is why Facebook
doesn't have much serious competition and social networks enjoy regional
dominance.

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ErrantX
nope :)

I think Facebook was leading the field for a long time. Twitter and Friendfeed
(though I am not a fan of the latter) carved out a specific niche. But now FB
is just stagnant - there hasnt been much in the way of killer new features for
over 6 months (probably longer). It's just facelift after facelift (and this
new one is not all that good in my opinion).

FB taught us some good lessons: I think the market is ripe for a generation 3
social network.

