1242 Face Off

As more and more security problems come out about Facebook, you wonder why many businesses are opting to use it. Privacy concerns aside, and there are tons, why are companies choosing to use what was supposedly a social thing anyhow?
One word. Free. Even business people are drawn to the myth of something for nothing.
Hmm. They must not value their time too highly.
It’s like Amway. Those who get the most out of it are those who put the most in it. It’s also like a pyramid scheme. The people who get in before the glut get the glory.
But with the glut of Faceusers out there now, late adopters are like a new business in a crowded street of strip malls. Ironically, they have to do something to advertise that they are, um, advertising.
That’s why we’re now seeing people paying to announce their presence on Facebook. Look at me, I’m on Facebook for free! And here’s a sign I paid for stuck in the ground on a street saying “Find me on Facebook.” And here’s another ad I paid to put in the newspaper that also says “Find me on Facebook.”
My favorite is one I saw the other day. If was an ad from a famous “social marketing expert.” She was giving a talk about the amazing low-cost effectiveness of social marketing. And she was telling everyone about it in a paid ad she put in a chamber of commerce newsletter.
So, she had to pay for the ad, and pay to be chamber member to be able to place the ad.
I wanted to say to her: How’s that free socially marketing thingy working out for you?
America, ya gotta love it.