Comments on: The Great Wall of Facebook

By: papabrr

papabrr — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:56:29 +0000

In my opinion, I won’t refer to this as ‘online war between two online giants’ but uncalled and unprecedented attack on Google. Not because am a fun of Google but face Book is barely not more that 8 years old; Yet going by the CEO’s word; Google is not serving us right. I think as users of both, I (we) care less as both are serving us right. Let no one coarse us to go into directions we don’t want to go and let ‘them keep the war proffessional’. I like and use face book, but thats was unprofessional and uncalled in the 21st century, a time when the consumers have a right and variety to choose from.

By: mojaam

mojaam — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:58:16 +0000

Very informative. Favorite part of all this is that this battle is in fact a win-win for us consumers. From personal experience, I noticed how my IT opinion matters to my family on FB but google is usually if not always involved before I get back to them with an answer. Using the combination of both FB and Google is the key.

By: junk

junk — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:52:08 +0000

Question: “What should I have on my pizza and where should I get it?”

FB Answers (out of a possible 8672 “friends”):
“Pizza kat iz in ur sauz eetin’ ur anchovies!”
“ZOMG! I HAD TEH BSET PIZZA IN ROME! YOU SHULD FLY THER!”
“I like vegetarian pizza because animals are pretty.”
“You can’t go wrong with pepperoni from Pizza Hut.”

Google Responses:
“There are 6 pizza places within 2 miles of your home. Three have ratings of 2/5. One has a rating of 3.5/5. Two have a rating of 4/5.”

While Google may not suggest what I should eat on my pizza (though the I’m Feeling Lucky button, when searching for “best pizza toppings” brings up an interesting link), it will at least give me a decent idea of where I should eat, relative to my location. If you want LolCats and goatse all day, social networks are great for information. Useful information tends to come from reliable, informed, sources in positions of which your friends probably don’t hold all.

Besides, twitter has taken all the useful bits of Facebook (quick updates and photos) and done a better job of the whole thing. They’re also not trying to pretend to be the next evolution of the internet.

By: jkd

jkd — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:35:05 +0000

Zuckerberg’s core assumption also seems to be something like, “Everybody really wants to be a corporate shill!” which, you know, maybe some people do. But people who talk all the time about “Wow this new product I enjoy is so great and enjoyable!” or “Hey I need to know ___ please tell me kthxbye” are people I, for one, will tune out immediately. Because the answer to the latter is, as you note: “Google it.”

Also as you note, our core social nets – the people most likely to answer or put up with our Qs – are not necessarily the people who’ll give the best answers. So, yeah, don’t really see FB smashing the GOOG anytime soon.