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I had an idea the other day of creating a three-fold informational website. 1. How to backup your Facebook content and delete your account. 2. How to use no

by gooseus 10y ago

I had an idea the other day of creating a three-fold informational website. 1. How to backup your Facebook content and delete your account. 2. How to use non-Facebook services to share photos, organize events and talk to friends. 3. How to open an online trading account and purchase PUT options against FB. In my delusion of grandeur I imagined this site going viral with the idea that if a critical mass of users decided to follow through on those steps then Facebook's network effect and user base would crumble and their stock price would plummet. All that lost stock value would flow directly into the hands of the users that went through step 3... a legitimate capitalistic redistribution of wealth and a new opportunity for the world to define social networking is done. I still kind of have stars in my eyes when I talk about it.

RodgerTheGreat 10y ago
I think the biggest challenge in doing something like this and making an impact is a call to action. Some users strongly dislike Facebook and already have the motivation necessary to execute on something like this if you made the process easy. I suspect, however, that most Facebook users are either indifferent or genuinely enjoy the service, and it will be difficult to convince these people they should cease using Facebook. Citing privacy concerns or some of Facebook's well-publicized unethical behavior seems to me like it would mainly preach to the choir. So how do you sell this?
- gooseus 10y ago
  Yeah, it's definitely not an easy sell and would require the right presentation, but I think there is a strong undercurrent of fatigue and discontent with Facebook that can be tapped into with the right message. I think that message could energize and wake up a decent number of people and if this generated momentum then it'd feed into itself. The fact that a measurable decrease in users could create a panic in stock price that can be profited from directly is another selling point. I'm not well-versed in investment instruments, but I do believe that spending $100 on PUT options before even a 10% drop in stock price would pay off quite handsomely. I mean, you may like Facebook... but it's not like you couldn't create a fresh account after you make a little money, right? How much money have they profited from sharing your personal information? Every large company can benefit from a reality check... Dunno if that message would play to more loyal users, but my mental cost/benefit analysis for this idea seems pretty favorable.
  - RodgerTheGreat 10y ago
    I think for the average consumer the idea of purchasing stock on a whim, let alone shorting a stock, is an alien and uninvitingly risky act. A site that asks me to follow some instructions to spend $100 to help bring down big F would send off all kinds of mental alarm bells. There could be money to be made, but I think profiting from Facebook's loss muddies the issue.
    - gooseus 10y ago
      True, but like you said, most of the ethical arguments against Facebook are preaching to the choir. Sad as it is, money (even the chance of it) typically motivates more effectively than ethics. I think if there are enough people willing to go through a convoluted process to help a Nigerian prince that it becomes a meme, then there are plenty of people who would be willing to go through the perfectly legitimate process of opening an E-Trade or Charles-Schwabb account and buying PUT options. Everything on the site would be verifiable by any financial advisor, though they may not understand/agree with the overall strategy. And really this is just my personal musings, I have plenty of my own doubts otherwise I would be building this site and not openly sharing and commenting about it on HN. ... Of course, if some people here did think it was viable I wouldn't take much convincing to start putting it together...
Yhippa 10y ago
#3 is one of the weirdest, most interesting ideas I've heard regarding a Facebook alternative. Talk about having an incentive to leave.

by gooseus 10y ago

RodgerTheGreat 10y ago

I think the biggest challenge in doing something like this and making an impact is a call to action. Some users strongly dislike Facebook and already have the motivation necessary to execute on something like this if you made the process easy. I suspect, however, that most Facebook users are either indifferent or genuinely enjoy the service, and it will be difficult to convince these people they should cease using Facebook. Citing privacy concerns or some of Facebook's well-publicized unethical behavior seems to me like it would mainly preach to the choir. So how do you sell this?

gooseus 10y ago
Yeah, it's definitely not an easy sell and would require the right presentation, but I think there is a strong undercurrent of fatigue and discontent with Facebook that can be tapped into with the right message. I think that message could energize and wake up a decent number of people and if this generated momentum then it'd feed into itself. The fact that a measurable decrease in users could create a panic in stock price that can be profited from directly is another selling point. I'm not well-versed in investment instruments, but I do believe that spending $100 on PUT options before even a 10% drop in stock price would pay off quite handsomely. I mean, you may like Facebook... but it's not like you couldn't create a fresh account after you make a little money, right? How much money have they profited from sharing your personal information? Every large company can benefit from a reality check... Dunno if that message would play to more loyal users, but my mental cost/benefit analysis for this idea seems pretty favorable.
- RodgerTheGreat 10y ago
  I think for the average consumer the idea of purchasing stock on a whim, let alone shorting a stock, is an alien and uninvitingly risky act. A site that asks me to follow some instructions to spend $100 to help bring down big F would send off all kinds of mental alarm bells. There could be money to be made, but I think profiting from Facebook's loss muddies the issue.
  - gooseus 10y ago
    True, but like you said, most of the ethical arguments against Facebook are preaching to the choir. Sad as it is, money (even the chance of it) typically motivates more effectively than ethics. I think if there are enough people willing to go through a convoluted process to help a Nigerian prince that it becomes a meme, then there are plenty of people who would be willing to go through the perfectly legitimate process of opening an E-Trade or Charles-Schwabb account and buying PUT options. Everything on the site would be verifiable by any financial advisor, though they may not understand/agree with the overall strategy. And really this is just my personal musings, I have plenty of my own doubts otherwise I would be building this site and not openly sharing and commenting about it on HN. ... Of course, if some people here did think it was viable I wouldn't take much convincing to start putting it together...

Yhippa 10y ago

#3 is one of the weirdest, most interesting ideas I've heard regarding a Facebook alternative. Talk about having an incentive to leave.