
Facebook to Offer Free Classifieds - natrius
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/11/business/11facebook.html?_r=1&oref=login
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sharpshoot
Facebook's core value proposition is in organising the information around you.
Secondly their objective is to maximise user retention.

So if a startup can build a product leverage facebook's network effects which
falls outside of facebook's stated mission but can serve to keep users glued
to the site it can do something of value that Facebook is unlikely to
replicate.

For example see MosoTo - they are doing things on facebook that facebook
aren't doing because it falls outside of its stated mission and so would be
deemed a deviation from its product (chat + photo and media sharing).

For Facebook hackers out there - heres the rationale for building valuable
products off of the facebook platform.

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zaidf
How long do you think it would take facebook to build an app better than
Mosoto? You could say "why won't facebook just buy them?" - they could, but
nothing says facebook has much inclination to acquire; they do have
inclination to expand their mission.

Like its been said before, startups that rely on other networks without
explicit agreement are calling for trouble.

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timg
So now that the big guys are demonstrating that they can quickly recognize
opportunities and take advantage of them, of how much value is it to stay
"under the radar"?

How can a new startup bring unique value that facebook couldn't just duplicate
with a few outsourced coders overnight?

