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When you look at it zoomed out, Facebook combined disparate web avenues (chat, contacts, forums, game portals, bboards, adspace) into one place and added a thic

by twidlit 16y ago

When you look at it zoomed out, Facebook combined disparate web avenues (chat, contacts, forums, game portals, bboards, adspace) into one place and added a thick air of mass adoption. This is hardly world-changing innovation-wise but it is game-changing in making the web more usable and understandable. Facebook is a fork of the whole web (Open web vs Facebook Web). I am betting the farm that this is what internally facebook is running with. This is a powerful motivator because they can justify to themselves and to everyone in the company the act of copying>improving elements of the open web into it. This is why a Facebook email, search, OS is inevitable. In short - my definition of Facebook. its the web in the CONTEXT of your social circle and that has changed the web biz game, it has only begun to change the world 'proper' and thats what i think excites people like Lars.

2arrs2ells 16y ago
I think facebook seems to be doing more to embed themselves in the "open web" (connect, instant personalization) than they are bringing elements of the open web into facebook.
FlemishBeeCycle 16y ago
I can't help but draw some parallel to AOL/CompuServe/etc. Like Facebook, they were attempts to make the web both more accessible to the average person as well as present in very clear terms what they could do on this new "Information Superhighway". A lot of technical people look at the collection of services that Facebook is offering and can easily enumerate instances of prior art and thus I imagine feel somewhat dismissive of Facebook. "Farmville? Why not just go to any of the number of flash game portals that have existed since the early 2000s?", "Messageboards? Older than dirt". Technical people tend to forget that the average person doesn't like searching, and needs to be told what they "should be doing" (topically, that was probably part of the problem with Wave's lack of adoption - too much freedom, too different - people need to be guided). People prefer having "everything in one place" with explicit parallels (rather than absolute freedom) to what is important to them. I would hazard to guess that to the average person, Facebook is the web. That part is kind of game changing (and arguably, not necessarily in a good way).
bergie 16y ago
"Facebook: Internet for Dummies"

by twidlit 16y ago

2arrs2ells 16y ago

I think facebook seems to be doing more to embed themselves in the "open web" (connect, instant personalization) than they are bringing elements of the open web into facebook.

FlemishBeeCycle 16y ago

I can't help but draw some parallel to AOL/CompuServe/etc. Like Facebook, they were attempts to make the web both more accessible to the average person as well as present in very clear terms what they could do on this new "Information Superhighway". A lot of technical people look at the collection of services that Facebook is offering and can easily enumerate instances of prior art and thus I imagine feel somewhat dismissive of Facebook. "Farmville? Why not just go to any of the number of flash game portals that have existed since the early 2000s?", "Messageboards? Older than dirt". Technical people tend to forget that the average person doesn't like searching, and needs to be told what they "should be doing" (topically, that was probably part of the problem with Wave's lack of adoption - too much freedom, too different - people need to be guided). People prefer having "everything in one place" with explicit parallels (rather than absolute freedom) to what is important to them. I would hazard to guess that to the average person, Facebook is the web. That part is kind of game changing (and arguably, not necessarily in a good way).

bergie 16y ago

"Facebook: Internet for Dummies"