5/20/2010
My Love-Hate Relationship with Facebook
Facebook Rocks for Advertising, Reeks for Privacy
The Hate
Facebook drives me crazy. Its heavy handed and hamfisted handling of personal privacy is well documented, inspiring fear outside the Facebook community and loathing within. The other day I was checking my privacy settings and noticed several of them were more open than I remembered. Is it just me, or do the privacy setting screens look different every time you open them?
Clearly, Facebook makes it as confusing as possible to protect personal privacy. Default settings are changed without fanfare, and the entire system prods and pushes participants into sharing more than they would if given a clear choice. This seems backwards to me. And potentially dangerous. The policies are galling in the extreme.
Facebook is an advertising platform. This is the reality. The former Facebook, a non-commercial haven for college students, is long gone, never to return. When I log on to Facebook I’m walking into the biggest used car lot on the planet. I know I’m going to be treated like a sucker.
Problem is, a lot of community members don’t realize Facebook has switched venues on them. They still think Facebook’s purpose is to function as a community host, when in fact, its purpose is to sell advertising. And the more Facebook knows about us, the more it can charge advertisers to pitch us.
Facebook ... The Hate
The Love
But when I take off my user hat and put on my marketer hat, I see a completely different picture. It’s hard to think of a more promising advertising medium than Facebook. As difficult as Facebook makes it to control personal privacy, that’s how easy Facebook makes it to create and distribute highly targeted PPC ads.
And I must admit – the ads that I view on my Facebook account are not too bad. They appeal to me. And I can let Facebook know about ads that don’t appeal – and every time I do, the advertising becomes more relevant. For me, the ads themselves are far less objectionable the Facebook’s management policies that put them in front of me. (There’s that love-hate thing again.)
Facebook ... The Love
On the occasions when I click through on a Facebook ad, my feeling is – I’m usually the better for it. I definitely don’t get that feeling when thinking about my cumulative experience with other types of paid online advertising. (There’s one big exception which I’ll get to in a minute.) On Facebook. ads have helped me find new communities I’m happy to join, products I’m interested in, and services I need. This is a good thing.
For companies looking for an effective alternative than standard PPC or that don’t currently engage in online advertising, Facebook makes for a pretty appealing option. I think ads can be shaped to work for b2b and b2c organizations with equal effectiveness – and the cost (at least for the moment) is quite reasonable.
Given the current stampede of business into Facebook, it’s hard to say whether the Facebook advertising opportunity will get better or worse. More advertising participants will certainly increase competition and increase cost. But with Facebook’s ocean of eyeballs, there’s probably room for everybody to ride the wave.
So … if a client wanted to launch an ad campaign on Facebook, would I object on principles? No. In this online tug of war between community and capitalism, I’m sticking with capitalism and hoping for a more communal model to emerge.
The Solution?
But the good news is, there’s a fine model out there that Facebook can follow to keep ratcheting up advertising effectiveness without sticking it to their own base of users. I’m talking about Amazon, a company that mastered the art of targeted online advertising long before Facebook got in the game.
I’ve never had the feeling that Amazon tricks me into revealing my personal preferences. Amazon takes a much more straightforward approach: they ask me. Did I like that book? Did I not like that book? With every response, Amazon’s recommendations get more and more relevant – so much so that it’s almost scary.
Facebook follows the Amazon model to an extent on the display ads themselves. Sometimes I’m given the opportunity to provide feedback about the ad, as I mentioned earlier. But why not all the time, on every ad? That would be powerful. And how about transparency and clarity? Why can’t Facebook just come out and ask us what information we want to share, and with whom? What are they afraid of? They should be afraid of competing social media models such as Diaspora, which will hit Facebook right where it hurts, in the soft underbelly of their reptilian privacy policies.
Over to You – What Do You Think about Facebook?
I want control of my personal information. How about you? What kind of relationship do you have with Facebook?
24 Responses to My Love-Hate Relationship with Facebook
I love the contextual nature of the FB ads, like yourself. Most are very targeted and those that I click usually deliver exactly what I’m expecting.
With regard to the privacy concerns, I think common sense needs to come into play. Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say to your friends, family, employers, employees etc. Personally I’m not too concerned about my personal information because FB isn’t the only place you could find that information.
Once you understand the nature of the beast, act accordingly.
That having been said, I do think FB has a responsibility to it’s users to outline what the privacy changes mean to them. Not everyone holds my view of personal information.
Craig, Thanks for stopping by. Your point about common sense is a good one – and that’s a whole other topic unto itself. I have seen some of the most ridiculous comments pass through my feeds that leave me wondering, “What is this person thinking?? If people want to self-destruct on FB, that’s their business. But when it comes to basic profile information, there should never be doubt in the user’s mind about who can see what. I think on this score FB gets a D-.
.-= Brad Shorr’s last blog ..My Love-Hate Relationship with Facebook =-.
Just saw this blog post and thought about our earlier exchange. Thought I’d share it with you – http://anewkindofmarketing.utalkmarketing.com//when-did-we-all-become-so-private/
.-= Craig Bedworth’s last blog ..Social Media Revolution (version 2) =-.
Brad, when you view ad analytics Facebook comes up in the Top 5 so no doubt it is a marketing channel that should not be ignored. However, I agree with you on the privacy. I’m not asking Facebook to stop collecting information but simply to make it easier and more user friendly to control your privacy settings. Much like other advertisers choose a straightforward approach, you check/uncheck boxes to opt in or out. Facebook has multitudinous settings that change frequently and undoubtedly are hard to understand for many. As a fairly tech savvy adult marketer, I understand the settings but I can’t say the same for my young nieces and nephews who are on Facebook and that frightens me the most. I have altered my personal use of FB but will not abandon it for business.
.-= Karen Swim’s last blog ..4 Lessons from a 4 Year Old on Communication =-.
Karen, Multiudinous: spot on description. And I have this feeling that the complexity of FBs privacy controls is no accident. Shame on them for taking advantage of the technical naivety of their community.
.-= Brad Shorr’s last blog ..My Love-Hate Relationship with Facebook =-.
That’s how I feel about Facebook… love / hate. My goodness… it’s connected me with people who would otherwise never use social media or sites to connect. Even my mother is on it. It’s been a wonderful way to connect with old friends and new. Then, we all know the bad… I just hope it never gets bad enough that people stop using it.
.-= Meryl K Evans’s last blog ..7 Easy to Miss and Fix Writing Mistakes =-.
I think FB misses the implications of what happens when we all start altering our personal use of FB. To the degree that it ceases to be a place where I feel I can connect freely and privately with friends and family, it also ceases to be a place where I will see ads.
Perhaps I misunderstand the new rules but I thought the way it works now, adults either don’t provide certain information at all (like hometown, favorite movies, interests) or else their name will appear on a public list for that information. There is no box to uncheck, merely the option of removing that information entirely from your profile.
What set FB apart from MySpace in my experience was the inability of strangers to search for you by vital, geographical, or interest statistics. FB appears to be phasing out that sort of privacy. FB should take a look at MySpace’s market share 2007 vs. 2010 and get clear on where it is positioning itself for 2013.
I would not abandon FB for business, but I wonder how significant it will be three years down this road.
.-= Tammi Kibler’s last blog ..Writing Career Goals – I’ll Show You Mine if You Show Me Yours =-.
Hi Tammi, Yes, I think you are right that some personal information is forced to be public. If things keep going in the current direction, you’re probably right that FB will not be an important medium for advertising or anything else. Time will tell.
Hi Brad, I think my biggest concern is not knowing when the other shoe is going to drop. Not just with Facebook, but all the companies that are gathering our info. I think it was Mastercard that recently announced they could predict when their customers were going to divorce something like six months ahead of time. What are the limits to the use of such information? Contextual ads are fine when I’m in the market for a new car – but divorce? (Talk about a sensitive telemarketing call, “Hi Gladys, we’ve noticed your unhappy in your marrage….”). Technology has led us down a road where regular folk have to start paying closer attention. I wonder if Facebook would be willing to put together a privacy board made up of users and experts in privacy to provide guidance, limits and if nothing else clarity.
.-= Fred H Schlegel’s last blog ..How Do You Value Relationships? How Does Facebook? =-.
Fred, I think the answer to your last query is “no.” But would be pleasantly shocked if FB agreed to a community-driven privacy initiative. What a great idea. The stuff about Mastercard and divorce: frightening. The possibilities of this would make a superb science fiction story … How long before Visa will be able to predict our deaths six months in advance?
.-= Brad Shorr’s last blog ..My Love-Hate Relationship with Facebook =-.
You know, Brad, predicting remaining years of life based upon lifestyle is not anything new, even if no one yet claims to be able to predict within six months.
What scares me more than anything is that the science of predicting outcomes will not slow in its growing sophistication, nor will the volume of raw data available to analyze do anything but increase at a more and more rapid pace.
In other words, there will come a day when predictability will exceed the comfort level of those of us in our generation. I wonder, though, how much more willing succeeding generations will be to accept such technological “progress?” I’m guessing more willing, but I don’t know how much more.
If we are successful at fighting the current trend toward accumulation of data on individuals, I don’t think we will beat the monster. We will only drive it underground, much as happened when the citizens of America insisted that our security agencies stop spying on us. Congress dutifully passed laws to make it so, and the security agencies simply increased the level of secrecy with which they hid the collection of data on domestic targets.
The bottom line, Brad, is that I am coming to understand, better each year, what my curmudgeonly grandfather used to complain about. It wasn’t the specifics, just the curmudgeon in him that I see growing in me.
.-= Rick Hamrick’s last blog ..Foundations =-.
Hi Rick, Yes, it’s a perplexing issue. We want privacy and convenience, and these two desires definitely clash in the online world. Most people, myself included, opt for convenience. I know Google is collecting more information about me that I want them to have, but I still do what I do online because I’d rather shop online than go to a store; I’d rather have conversations on blogs and Twitter than cut my computer connection. Is it possible for us to have it both ways? Like you I’m skeptical. Unfortunately privacy is one of those things we easily take for granted and don’t appreciate until it’s taken away. I hope we find a middle ground.
.-= Brad Shorr’s last blog ..My Love-Hate Relationship with Facebook =-.
Well, I’m learning to like it
I don’t really like it and certainly don’t trust FB at all (and I guess you’d need to trust before liking properly) but there are aspects of FB that I do find appealing, and it does as others have said provide a connecting point for people who otherwise wouldn’t be interested in / engaging with social media conversations.
What I really like is how much our great minds are thinking alike today
PS I could get most distracted by following those ‘more’ buttons…! Interesting innovation, thanks
.-= Joanna Paterson’s last blog ..Learning to Like Facebook =-.
You are so right, Joanna. Sometimes I wonder if we were separated at birth (a very long labor that would have been). Anyway, Facebook has been a popular topic lately, and I’m hoping if enough people write about the privacy issue FB will respond. At the very least, all this writing and discussion will educate people in the Facebook community so they can better protect themselves.
.-= Brad Shorr’s last blog ..My Love-Hate Relationship with Facebook =-.
Well, I joined Facebook a long time ago, when it opened up worldwide to students only. Facebook has changed a lot since then. I did set my privacy settings so that only my friends could access my profile. Somehow, one of my profile pictures ended up on Myspace, another person was using it as their profile picture. So yes, Facebook does have many privacy issues that effect people that use it for personal reasons. I agree with Craig Bedworth, that you do need to be should only put things online that you don’t mind everyone seeing. Identity theft is another issue, and Facebook has a responsibility to protect its users. They need to make their privacy settings clearer and more consistent.
On the other hand, there are many advantages for businesses as your adverts can be seen directly by your target audience. I think for me it appeals more as a business tool rather then for personal use.
.-= Mandeep Khunkhuna’s last blog ..5 More Web Designer Plugins For Firefox =-.
Hi Mandeep, It does seem that many people like the advertising aspect of FB more than at least some of the community aspects – a strange turn of events. However, unless the community feels comfortable with the social nature of FB, nobody will stick around just for the advertising.
.-= Brad Shorr’s last blog ..My Love-Hate Relationship with Facebook =-.
Brad,
Facebook is great for marketers, but shocking from a privacy point of privacy.
Ethically speaking, the philosophy should be simple: Facebook should assume by default that users do not want to share their personal information (except with specifically chosen, trusted friends) unless the individual user in question clearly indicates otherwise.
.-= Andrew’s last blog ..Defending the value of AGMs in Australia =-.
You are so right, Andrew. I wish the FB people saw things as clearly. Unfortunately, they don’t, and as a result are compromising a promising business model. FB membership continues to skyrocket though, so maybe they are the smart ones.
@Andrew – I agree completely.
@Brad – I think there are three factors at play here:
1. New people signing up don’t understand why we are upset. To them it’s a straight forward matter of choosing privacy levels. Many of these people will feel as we do the first time their settings are changed without their active consent.
2. Many people are now joining Facebook as a public business networking platform and not a private social networking platform. These people wouldn’t imagine sharing private information and so this is a non-issue for them.
3. Right now there is no large scale competitor. Knowing what people want in a private social network, the potential exists for someone to create one from the ground up in a way that satisfies the users’ desires for privacy and the platform’s need to monetize the model. Someone can begin with the end in mind instead of pretending to be something that will be ultimately unsustainable. Facebook is still riding a wave that will crest when this competition arrives.
I hope.
.-= Tammi Kibler’s last blog ..Write Now – What If Perfect Never Arrives? =-.
Hi Tammi, Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughtful evaluation of the FB situation. I especially like your last point about the Facebook monopoly. Like any other business, the public interest is seldom advanced when one firm or a handful control all the action. Fortunately, in online business – unlike energy and other monopolistic tending industries – monopolies can be shockingly short lived. Remember when people were screaming Monopoly! about Internet Explorer? Not that long ago. And even more recently My Space was on the hot seat. I don’t think the social media competitive terrain is settled nearly enough for FB to take a complacent or arrogant view of membership.
.-= Brad Shorr’s last blog ..Simple Sentences – When and How to Eliminate Colons, Part 1 =-.
I have an uneasy gut feeling about recent developments with FB. I see that’s becoming the “new” portal to the internet. Back in the 90′s you started seeing advertisers adding URL’s to their products; now I’m seeing “Visit us at Facebook/[company]” sprouting up.
An interesting example today: I was on a website for an upcoming Home Show in Boston. The link for a 2 for 1 coupon leads you to FB where you need to “allow” access to your info to get the coupon to print out. Huh.
I’m concerned that an entity with a questionable privacy set up and philosophy is becoming the default choice. It actually reminds me of AOL-as-proprietary-Internet-portal; we all loved that didn’t we?
Richard, Facebook’s approach to privacy could be its undoing, for sure. It drives me crazy because other than that Facebook is a spectacular social media platform in so many ways.
Richard, your comment points out the need for companies to really understand the repercussions of their strategies. Obviously that company used the coupon promotion to drive fans but ultimately what companies want is to create and sustain paying customer relationships. You were already on their site, and they drove you away from their home to a social media platform. The goal is to meet customers where they’re comfortable. Thanks for sharing your story, it was helpful to those of us following the discussion too.