facebook

[johned]

I have just watched a program i recorded a couple of days ago called facehooked on bbc2. Did anyone watch it?

Members where saying they dont use facebook to get adverts thrown at them and where complaining about the adverts. Even the presentor was having a digg at them when they told him it was an ad supported business.

Im really curious now as to how these people think free sites like facebook earn money. I honestly think some people believe some sites are just there for them and not for profit.

 

[mneylon]

Im really curious now as to how these people think free sites like facebook earn money. I honestly think some people believe some sites are just there for them and not for profit.

I always find those kind of user comments amusing.

Running a site like facebook, bebo or even this one costs money. Whether it's the insignificant sum I spend on keeping this site online (software licenses, domain renewal fees etc., etc.) or the hundreds of thousands of euro of hardware that Bebo and Facebook use some people just don't "get it".

They'll complain if the service is slow or the UI isn't intuitive. Do they honestly expect it to magically happen?

 

[Forbairt]

... even this one costs money. Whether it's the insignificant sum I spend on keeping this site online (software licenses, domain renewal fees etc., etc.)

When you factor in your own time you spend ... moderating forums / spam removal ... adding new features ... updates / bug fixes / templating and so on ... it really isn't worth it so fair play for the forum

I'd say that the facebook users problems were the way the adverts just suddenly appeared ... Its always easier to remove something like adverts than to add it in ... but first you have to build the userbase and the userbase probably wouldn't have gotten so big in the start if it had so many adverts

 

[TheMenace]

If you don't like it, don't use it. It's not like someone's cut off your air supply... or put ads on the wallpaper in your home. Facebook can do whatever the hell it wants. Including close down. They don't owe you a damn thing. Grrr. Some people are stupid.

 

[mneylon]

Some people are stupid.

Only some?

 

[Busarus]

I know - users can be so amusing unintentionally.

I received an email last week from an archiseek member saying they weren't coming back because of all the ads.

Now it's always had the same amount of ads and they're not particularly intrusive. Indeed if you're a member of the forums, you actually see less ads.

It may be laugh and then I deleted the email.

 

[mneylon]

Busarus - you should have offered them a "premium" adfree version

 

[toneharb]

Often the problem can be a site starts of free of adverts as a ploy to get signups (as few consumers actually like being inundated with ads)

The members of the site then objects to the fact it is no longer a site run for altuistic reasons

But the simple fact is the world would simply not work as we know it without advertising , there are very few sites that will actually do a service for nothing - unless they are run by a government or similar organisation

For facebookers they will benefit from a better service / more features as the profits are ploughed back in the site infrastructure

(PS I did see the face hooked program - it was by money program people i think - i'm sure Facebook benefited immensely by the free negative publicity!)

 

[louie]

If you make changes to your website anytime someone complains about something, let me tell you, it will never end.

Those people complaining have no right to do so and as "TheMenance" said, if you don't like what the hell are you going there for?

 

[Anouilh]

I have just watched a program i recorded a couple of days ago called facehooked on bbc2. Did anyone watch it?

Members where saying they dont use facebook to get adverts thrown at them and where complaining about the adverts. Even the presentor was having a digg at them when they told him it was an ad supported business.

Im really curious now as to how these people think free sites like facebook earn money. I honestly think some people believe some sites are just there for them and not for profit.

Posters to the net are quite sophisticated and know how to choose wisely, in general. Facebook is very useful and does not deserve all the paranoia that seems to surround it in the official mainstream media. Perhaps those who are most critical have not worked out how to use it?

 

[mneylon]

Perhaps those who are most critical have not worked out how to use it?

If facebook were properly designed then we wouldn't need to work out how to use it.

Personally I think it's a total waste of time and has the most demented UI out there

 

[Forbairt]

personally I liked it ... but it fizzled out for me ... similar to every net social network thingy so far apart from linked in ... which remains what it always was .. but with more features

Still handy enough to keep track of people who don't have blogs yet though

 

[Anouilh]

It's very useful for bypassing all the clutter that very public fora use. Also, posting on a "friend's" wall can be very quick, rather than going through all the palaver of posting to their blog and waiting for the comment to be moderated.

 

[Anouilh]

If facebook were properly designed then we wouldn't need to work out how to use it.

Personally I think it's a total waste of time and has the most demented UI out there

Why do you continue to use it?

 

[Anouilh]

Has anybody taken time to examine the copyright issues related to Facebook and photos? I'm happy to upload there, as it is quick and efficient, but there is a lot of paranoia in the web community when it comes to "ownership" and rights that Facebook claim.