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a lot more people can replicate a social network feature set than a search engine. That's why is harder to replace Google. the moment any networking site begin
by volida 19y ago
a lot more people can replicate a social network feature set than a search engine. That's why is harder to replace Google.
the moment any networking site begins charging for any of their service they will lose 90% of users, and they know it and then the rest of the 10% will abandon because there wont be any value for them to stick around.
- ntoshev 19y agoFacebook is more like eBay than like Google in this respect. It is easy to replicate the computer technology, but not the social aspect of the site. Except that eBay has stopped innovating (in either the technical or the human/social part of their technology), while Facebook is constantly trying new things.
- volida 19y agoallow me to say Fb is not any close eBay
- ntoshev 19y agoPlease explain. In what respect is Facebook unlike eBay? Is it better or worse?
- volida 19y agoit's not hard to see the difference
- cellis 19y agoThis argument doesn't hold weight at all. "eBay is almost irreplaceble because it's a marketplace" Are you saying marketplaces can't be replaced any easier than social networks (particularly, social networks with suprisingly passionate users)? "Any marketplace is difficult to replace because if it already works well is because is reaching a massive audience, even if they are not actively particapating in it. At eBay there already people who have their rating etc so it's hard to beat that." Ok, first off, the formal definition of what you describe is Network Effects - i.e. Metcalfes law. Facebook benefits from that just as well as eBay, and perhaps, as Paul said, even more so, because there is more trust. Secondly, a lot of the "rating" is artificially generated, comes from scammy behavior etc, so it doesn't hold much weight. "Most people know eBay even if they never bought something off it" ... And most people know about facebook even if they've never used it. I think anyone that underestimates Facebook does so at their own peril.
- volida 19y agoI had already erased my comment before you've responded. anw, maybe I am wrong but I don't think you can easily replace a marketplace that works.
- Harj 19y agoOk, first off, the formal definition of what you describe is Network Effects - i.e. Metcalfes law. Facebook benefits from that just as well as eBay no. building a connection on ebay (i.e. buying or selling something and leaving feedback) requires a lot more effort than building a connection on a social network (adding a friend). that's why users are more locked into ebay than any social network.
- cellis 19y agoMost of the people on facebook are more than just "adding a friend". There is a lot more depth to it. These are genuine relationships that have been there before they hit facebook.
- Harj 19y agoi didn't comment on the depth of the relationships. i commented on the investment needed to create them online.
- nostrademons 19y agoFaceBook's network effects are nowhere near as big as EBay's. When I first started making friends online, we all got DeadJournals. It was free, it didn't have invite codes like LiveJournal, it wasn't "too young" like Xanga, and it wasn't "too old" like Blogger (I was a freshman in college at the time, and most of my friends were high schoolers). Then one person in my group of friends got a LiveJournal, and with it, an invite code. LiveJournal was seen as higher-status, and so over the next 5-6 weeks, we all migrated over. Every week (that's how long you had to wait to get an invite code), the person who just got their LJ code would announce "I've got a code. First person to shout gets it" in an AIM chatroom, and one more person would move over, until we were all on LiveJournal. Then, when my friends graduated high school, there was a big split between those who went to college and those who didn't. Those who didn't usually went to MySpace, because their local friends were all there and they felt they had less in common with those of us who were college-bound. Those who did would post messages on their LJ that said "I'm on FaceBook as Jane Smith @ SomeCollege", and then everyone else would comment with "OMG I HAZ FACEBOOK! Friended you! [And if they're polite, they'd say what their real name was, so the person didn't get lots of friend requests that they had no idea about.]" Similarly, when LJ did something stupid and pissed off all of fandom at once, there was a mass exodus of people for GreatestJournal. Everyone would post "I'm now at username@greatestjournal.com", their friends would leave too, and they'd all friend each other on the new site. Analysts are right that nobody ever leaves a social network site while all their friends are there. Instead, they leave as groups. It's very much like the tipping point where somebody grabs their coat at a party and then everyone gets up to leave. EBay is very different, because if you're finding a seller for a rare item, you have no other means of communication other than EBay. EBay holds a monopoly on your means of finding the person you're looking for. FaceBook deals with real social relationships, and real social relationships always have backchannels. If you're FaceBook friends, you probably have regular buddy chats over instant-messaging, or you see each other at school, or you go out for lunch. If something better comes along, you can say "Oh, I found this cool social networking site, let's all go check it out."
- ntoshev 19y agoYou have a point. I have less personal experience with social sites, but it seems to me that the more information about your relationships you build, the harder it becomes to leave. Think of leaving Facebook as losing your phone and the contacts you have on it. It's up to Facebook to make it like this, but the potential is there.