DISQUS

Alex · 2 years ago

Fascinating article. I wonder how the human engines may or may not play into this. Will engines like Wikia, Mahalo, InfoCream or ChaCha respond to the trend? Will sites like Facebook leverage their own search?

Heather Paquinas · 2 years ago

Finally, maybe they'll rewrite orkut from <vomit>asp.net</vomit>

horisly · 2 years ago

good post.

Andy Beal · 2 years ago

I'm more likely responsible for the increase in the average user age, than their growth. ;-)

James Mayberry · 2 years ago

Like any internet marketing executive worth her salt, you should read this stuff with skepticism.

Making Google quake? Give me a break. Facebook, outside of its Microsoft partnership, has no revenue model. And While Facebook is growing, its platform model isn't all that new (see AOL launch page circa 1996). A slick interface with intriguing functionality? Sure. But when I read articles like the one in AdAge, I think, "how will they make money? free widgets?" instead of just how can i make money as a marketer? Doing so helps me understand the long term viability.

I don't get it. Kara Swisher from the WSJ doesn't either as she notes in this post:
http://kara.allthingsd.com/?p=350&ak_action...

Jordan McCollum · 2 years ago

I'm sorry, was my skepticism not conveyed by "AdAge seems to think so" and questioning the premise of their article?

Andy Beal · 2 years ago

@James - I think Jordan and I both agree with you, and you'll find us to be skeptical of most stuff. ;-)

Bill Hilton · 2 years ago

According to yesterday's list of 100 media movers and shakers in the Guardian, which rated Facebook number 100 and rising, half of all BBC employees have a Facebook page.

Aside from revealing what they're all doing when they should be delivering value for money on the Licence Fee (the TV tax we have to pay over here in the UK), that stat really underlines FB's brand penetration into the 20/30-something professional demographic.

MySpace may still be bigger, but I think it's becoming an irrelevance in terms of social search. No disrespect to the kids, but the demo it's pitching at is too young, with the result it's heavily skewed towards under-21s. FB have worked up a brand that appeals to a broader, and (dare I say it) more sophisticated and educated demo.

Paul · 2 years ago

I think Facebook skeptics underestimate the position Facebook is in as the defacto operating system of college students. Virtually every college student in America uses Facebook, and when they graduate they continue to use Facebook as the hub of all their communications.

Fitness guy · 2 years ago

I have to agree with Paul..Facebook is even promoted in the new student packets of many major colleges in the US (ie. Univ. of FL, and Univ. Cent. Florida). College age is the beginning of the market spending age.

Omadsense · 2 years ago

well, google if it does get 'frieghten" can afford to pay any price to aquire it. Even though it was stated the Facebook has no plans to be bought out - everyone has a price.
Hell, I would've sold it yesterday if I owned it [ I want to be a millionair ].

Tim Long · 2 years ago

Facebook may be gaining on page views, but their CTR is still abysmal.