
Why Facebook wants you to have more friends  - peter123
http://customerecosystem.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/why-facebook-wants-you-to-have-more-friend/
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nfnaaron
Besides the abstract "engagement" to shore up retention, more friends
increases the ad surface without requiring an increase in users. An advertiser
can target to more users, some of whom they might not normally be able to
identify as interested.

For example, I am sometimes served ads for a breathing apparatus, for people
who have things like sleep apnea. I have never seen an ad for such a device
anywhere online. I have a FB friend who has a breathing issue and uses a
device like this.

It seems like I would be a good target for an ad like this, because I have a
Friend who might be interested in it, and I might point it out to her. It
allows Facebook to charge more for ads, and makes advertisers more interested
in advertising.

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synarch
Good points.

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synarch
Also, as you add more friends, the network effects increase.

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benkant
I would have thought this was obvious.

