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A friend I was working with in 2004 also ran a social network for North Carolina State University. The difference was (and is) that it was just an online bulle

by gsoty 9y ago

A friend I was working with in 2004 also ran a social network for North Carolina State University. The difference was (and is) that it was just an online bullentin board system. Zuck's genius is his execution ability and making a prime product combined withthe exclusivity of elite Universities. He was also on CNBC in 2004 so that combination of skill and Harvard created a grand opportunity. Surely people thought easy social networks would be a big business -- MySpace and AOL proved that. Of course, no one could had reasonably predicted it'd be as big as it is.

toufka 9y ago
Don't forget another big differentiator of FB from a bunch of others at the same time was having a few (accidental? intentional?) very dark psychological patterns. At the time, real names were not commonly used online. That coupled with very real 'stalkability' of how FB was used at universities made it much stickier than others. Embedding a "relationship" function into the same software as your "class schedule" was bizarre - but apparently very effective social manipulation. Having in-class life so closely linked with social-life as well as daily preferences and even vacation pictures really embedded itself into a social nerve in a way any network designed with a more singular goal in mind really would not have.
- jackgolding 9y ago
  Very interesting point, I do recall in 2005-2007 most friends not using any names for Bebo/Myspace
- bdamm 9y ago
  I still remember with complete clarity the shock when Facebook posted my "real name" publicly. No website had done that before. I was glad to have used a fake surname. There are people today who think my fake Facebook surname is actually my real surname. I'm considering changing my real surname to match my fake Facebook name.
eggie 9y ago
> Zuck's genius is his execution ability and making a prime product combined withthe exclusivity of elite Universities. For what it's worth, the Winkelvoss twins came up with exactly this business plan. Maybe his genius was to steal it.

by gsoty 9y ago

toufka 9y ago

Don't forget another big differentiator of FB from a bunch of others at the same time was having a few (accidental? intentional?) very dark psychological patterns. At the time, real names were not commonly used online. That coupled with very real 'stalkability' of how FB was used at universities made it much stickier than others. Embedding a "relationship" function into the same software as your "class schedule" was bizarre - but apparently very effective social manipulation. Having in-class life so closely linked with social-life as well as daily preferences and even vacation pictures really embedded itself into a social nerve in a way any network designed with a more singular goal in mind really would not have.

jackgolding 9y ago
Very interesting point, I do recall in 2005-2007 most friends not using any names for Bebo/Myspace
bdamm 9y ago
I still remember with complete clarity the shock when Facebook posted my "real name" publicly. No website had done that before. I was glad to have used a fake surname. There are people today who think my fake Facebook surname is actually my real surname. I'm considering changing my real surname to match my fake Facebook name.

eggie 9y ago

> Zuck's genius is his execution ability and making a prime product combined withthe exclusivity of elite Universities. For what it's worth, the Winkelvoss twins came up with exactly this business plan. Maybe his genius was to steal it.