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It's true that most companies die, if you include every tiny startup and shop. I don't think it's necessarily true if you look at companies that are the size of

It's true that most companies die, if you include every tiny startup and shop. I don't think it's necessarily true if you look at companies that are the size of Facebook. There are a lot of very, very old companies in the world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_companies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_companies Kongō Gumi is a Japanese construction company that was started in 578 AD, and operated for over 1,400 years until it was bought in 2006. If Facebook lasts as long as Kongō Gumi, they'll still be around in the year 3432.

Chathamization 10y ago
Well, LiveJournal and MySpace are still around, as is AOL. But I think the big question is when Facebook will stop being the "it" page, and I'm guessing sooner rather than later. A lot of people already seem to be rather sick of it, and would jump on a halfway decent alternative if it arose (and targeted a community, rather than just being a "Facebook alternative").
- rplst8 10y ago
  Do you think those people are sick of Facebook or sick of the "connected lifestyle". For me it's the latter, especially when you hear "what, your not on Facebook?" I've heard people be suspicious of other people that didn't have an online presence. Especially if they were working in tech. It's just so weird sometimes.
  - Chathamization 10y ago
    I guess it depends on what you mean by the "connected lifestyle." A focus on rapid-fire micro-updates sent out to a general audience instead of a more personalized and thought out conversation? I think there are a number of people tired of that. But alternatives don't have to follow this model. They could be based around longer, more thought out and more personalized correspondence (like e-mail), or on developing real world communities (like Meetup). I think Slack is a good example of this. What it's doing is possible on other platforms, but it's better at what it does and so it's attracting a lot of attention. Eventually some site like that is going to attract enough people who start using it as there primary online interpersonal interaction page, and let their presence on other sites stagnate. At which point other people will start navigating to the platform simply because that's where everyone's going, and you'll get a snowball effect. Like with a lot of things, once it gets started it will probably happen very rapidly.
- jlj 10y ago
  The alternative may be putting down the phones and computers and talking to people face to face again. Said as I stare at my phone on the bus with most other people doing the same.
  - SomeStupidPoint 10y ago
    But... Is using a phone on the bus a problem? Buses (to many people) are a place better off without a lot of conversations going on. That used to mean books or staring out the window. Phones seem to offer a legitimate improvement here. Now, if you're talking about somewhere like bars, that might be different. But I mostly see face-in-phone on buses, and people talking at bars. (YMMV, anecdata, etc.)
- paulddraper 10y ago
  > A lot of people already seem to be rather sick of it I suspect any issues they have with Facebook would be had for any of its alternatives. Unless that alternative is radically different, like in-person conversation.

Chathamization 10y ago

Well, LiveJournal and MySpace are still around, as is AOL. But I think the big question is when Facebook will stop being the "it" page, and I'm guessing sooner rather than later. A lot of people already seem to be rather sick of it, and would jump on a halfway decent alternative if it arose (and targeted a community, rather than just being a "Facebook alternative").

rplst8 10y ago
Do you think those people are sick of Facebook or sick of the "connected lifestyle". For me it's the latter, especially when you hear "what, your not on Facebook?" I've heard people be suspicious of other people that didn't have an online presence. Especially if they were working in tech. It's just so weird sometimes.
- Chathamization 10y ago
  I guess it depends on what you mean by the "connected lifestyle." A focus on rapid-fire micro-updates sent out to a general audience instead of a more personalized and thought out conversation? I think there are a number of people tired of that. But alternatives don't have to follow this model. They could be based around longer, more thought out and more personalized correspondence (like e-mail), or on developing real world communities (like Meetup). I think Slack is a good example of this. What it's doing is possible on other platforms, but it's better at what it does and so it's attracting a lot of attention. Eventually some site like that is going to attract enough people who start using it as there primary online interpersonal interaction page, and let their presence on other sites stagnate. At which point other people will start navigating to the platform simply because that's where everyone's going, and you'll get a snowball effect. Like with a lot of things, once it gets started it will probably happen very rapidly.
jlj 10y ago
The alternative may be putting down the phones and computers and talking to people face to face again. Said as I stare at my phone on the bus with most other people doing the same.
- SomeStupidPoint 10y ago
  But... Is using a phone on the bus a problem? Buses (to many people) are a place better off without a lot of conversations going on. That used to mean books or staring out the window. Phones seem to offer a legitimate improvement here. Now, if you're talking about somewhere like bars, that might be different. But I mostly see face-in-phone on buses, and people talking at bars. (YMMV, anecdata, etc.)
paulddraper 10y ago
> A lot of people already seem to be rather sick of it I suspect any issues they have with Facebook would be had for any of its alternatives. Unless that alternative is radically different, like in-person conversation.