I want to know how many bloggers who are touting the praises of Facebook had an active MySpace page 2 years ago? Come on, raise your hands.
Most of the people I see getting all hot and bothered about Facebook missed the MySpace craze. Most of the people I know who were actively using MySpace may have switched, or are also using Facebook, but they’re not getting all giddy about it.
“Having a Facebook strategy is like having a Hotmail strategy.”Anil Dash from Six Apart at the Office 2.0 conference.
While there are specific reasons to have a Facebook strategy (like if you’re developing a social widget) for most businesses it’s not necessary. What is necessary is having a social media strategy or a new media communications strategy or even a web 2.0 strategy. Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace should be incorporated into that larger strategy.
At the Office 2.0 conference Facebook was the elephant in the room. I didn’t attend a single session where Facebook didn’t come up. But for the last 2 years you couldn’t go to a conference that didn’t talk about MySpace.
The biggest reasons why MySpace is still relevant:
- I have seen several business that don’t have a website but they have a MySpace URL. These are real brick and morter businesses, not longtail widgets. And I’m not talking about the ‘work from home” businesses. I actually saw someone with their MySpace URL on the back of their car.
- The main reason I keep my MySpace account is because there isn’t a band in existence that I know of signed or not that doesn’t have a MySpace page. I know there are some but I don’t know any bands who have Facebook pages.
- Not to mention many major Hollywood movies will have a MySpace page and not a real URL. I’m sure this comes with real Hollywood money.
The reasons why Facebook deserves the hype:
- NO SPAM!!!
- Open API’s
Ultimately I think we’ll have two or three major social networking sites and thousands of niche sites (of course Ning is trying to be both). The social networking market is the new search market from 7 years ago. The question is, who will be the *Google* of the industry? It’s still too early to tell. The market leader may not have even launched yet.
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Well said, Tac. An overall strategy is critical. It amazes me how many seemingly intelligent business people just decide they need to throw resources at creating a Facebook profile (or better yet - a widget), but they’re not really sure why. I suppose they just start salivating over the growth projections and all the recent hype. Some companies actually have done well with Facebook, but I’m convinced that most are just bandwagon jumpers following the crowd.
When it comes to these social networking sites, it depends on who you are trying to reach and connect with and how you intend to use each medium.
There was a study that was reported over the summer that found MySpace and Facebook demographics are splitting among social class lines (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2111422,00.html).
Whether the study is valid or not, it was very interesting nevertheless. The point is the communication channels you choose will either help or hinder you in reaching your target audience as part of your overall business strategy. You have to understand who using that specific medium and whether or not the users in that channel are the people you are trying to reach.
Pattrick, There’s a great quote “If you see a bandwagon, it”s too late.”
Nice post, Tac. I made it the choice of the day on Social Media Today. Thanks for joining SMT. One hint: go back and log in, go to “My Site,” and open your profile. Change your “Alias” to Tac Anderson and your name will show up that way in posts and comments, instead of tacanderson. (It’s a quirk that has been fixed in the next Blogtronix release)
Thanks Jerry,
I’ve been a fan of SocialMediaToday for a while now and figured it was time to jump in.