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This would make sense if they actually offered much utility. Even Google+ has them beat when it comes to compelling features.

by psbp 13y ago

Myrmornis 13y ago
Err, what? If I closed my facebook account I would lose virtually all contact I have with every friend I have made other than the person I live with and a few people who live near me and my family. How the hell is that not utility?
- CoryG89 13y ago
  It's not really Facebook offering utility though. They offer the same features every other site trying to be the "fabric of the internet" offers and some would say not as much. It just so happens that everyone you know has a Facebook at the moment.
  - Myrmornis 13y ago
    If I like watching birds and someone in my village puts up a bird feeder and all the birds go there and he offers to let me come and watch in return for a small payment then I would say that, while the birds are at his feeder, he is offering utility. This remains true even if all the other villagers also put up identical feeders which remain sadly birdless. Whereas If I'm understanding you correctly, you would say that he is offering utility only if the birds are at his feeder because of some unique bird-attracting design features of his feeder which the other feeders lack. That seems to me to be confusing an implementation detail with what actually matters to the user: he just wants access to birds (his friends). He doesn't care why they are where they are.
  - mkr-hn 13y ago
    Facebook replaced AOL for keeping in touch with friends and family at all distances. Something can replace Facebook for that purpose just as rapidly.
- ohyes 13y ago
  This is how it used to be. You graduate high school/college and you loose touch with the people who were unimportant, keep in touch with the people who are important. I don't really see this as a problem. The people who you wouldn't loose contact with are the ones worth focusing on, because it means you actually care about them.

This would make sense if they actually offered much utility. Even Google+ has them beat when it comes to compelling features.

by psbp 13y ago

This would make sense if they actually offered much utility. Even Google+ has them beat when it comes to compelling features.

Myrmornis 13y ago

Err, what? If I closed my facebook account I would lose virtually all contact I have with every friend I have made other than the person I live with and a few people who live near me and my family. How the hell is that not utility?

CoryG89 13y ago
It's not really Facebook offering utility though. They offer the same features every other site trying to be the "fabric of the internet" offers and some would say not as much. It just so happens that everyone you know has a Facebook at the moment.
- Myrmornis 13y ago
  If I like watching birds and someone in my village puts up a bird feeder and all the birds go there and he offers to let me come and watch in return for a small payment then I would say that, while the birds are at his feeder, he is offering utility. This remains true even if all the other villagers also put up identical feeders which remain sadly birdless. Whereas If I'm understanding you correctly, you would say that he is offering utility only if the birds are at his feeder because of some unique bird-attracting design features of his feeder which the other feeders lack. That seems to me to be confusing an implementation detail with what actually matters to the user: he just wants access to birds (his friends). He doesn't care why they are where they are.
- mkr-hn 13y ago
  Facebook replaced AOL for keeping in touch with friends and family at all distances. Something can replace Facebook for that purpose just as rapidly.
ohyes 13y ago
This is how it used to be. You graduate high school/college and you loose touch with the people who were unimportant, keep in touch with the people who are important. I don't really see this as a problem. The people who you wouldn't loose contact with are the ones worth focusing on, because it means you actually care about them.