I think it's pretty obvious to everyone by now that Facebook has gone well over the tipping point. Interestingly, it's done that by recently attracting my peers, those folk who have left college or university. The 30-somethings (and above!)
A quick sidebar before I continue. An intriguing issue I have with all these new people joining is this. How do you politely refuse someone as a friend once they have tracked you down and sent you a request? Look, I am a friendly guy, but like everyone else, there's some people whose lives have previously crossed with mine, socially and professionally, who, in all honesty, I didn't really consider as "besties," to put it mildly. Yet, here they are again, out of nowhere, grinning inanely in their profile pic, and..."poking" me. Hmmm. Anyway, off the rant and on to the topic at hand...
Some are describing Facebook as the operating system for social networking. That's high praise indeed among the likes of MySpace and Bebo and the many others that are out there. The comparison to Google is interesting too. What any search company struggles to achieve is a network of connections and the ability to reach them. Facebook has created something they can't, a viral distribution platform.
Recently, Facebook took the next step and opened up its platform to outside application developers to create and monetise widgets for its users. LinkedIn followed suit, or at least anounced their intention to follow suit.
"They're all going to Facebook at the moment." Now who said that? In fact, it was Rupert Murdoch when asked if his News readers where using MySpace. He's certainly noticed.
To date, not many brands have launched applications within Facebook, to some degree because Facebook isn't encouraging it and partly, I would quickly suggest, that unless you build something that is actually useful for Facebookers, as opposed to just adding your logo to their profile, you will damage your brand as opposed to enhancing it. And finding that Facebook widget that manages to be highly useful to users and also connects them to your brand with the right message is no mean feat. Very discerning, this lot, and they can destroy a brand as quickly they can build it for you.
/dp
Here's an interesting one. Paramount has released a movie trailer, currently running in the US before The Transformers, which basically amounts to a grainy home video of a twentysomething party abruptly turning into a scene of huge fireballs erupting into the city and culminating in the Statue of Liberty's head landing in a burning heap in the street. Intrigued?
There is no title. Only the date of 18 January, 2008 is shown, along with a line saying it is produced by Lost co-creator and Mission: Impossible III director J.J. Abrams. The trailer is known by the code name Cloverfield, but apparently that is not the real movie title.
Great marketing campaign, the blogospere is abuzz. Everyone wants to know what the movie is called and everybody wants to see it.
Paramount have set up clues online, and sites such as EthanHaasWasRight.com ruminate that the film will involve H.P. Lovecraft's tales of monstrous ancient gods wreaking havoc on Earth. Or is it the much vaunted Voltron movie about ancient robotic lions that defend Earth from invasion. Some say it's a new Godzilla film, or a big-screen takeoff on Abrams' Lost TV series or an entirely original project. Plenty of chatter. All good for business.
Paramount has not posted the trailer online, are busy removing all pirate versions from YouTube and stick to the line of "no comment, yet" Congratulations, Paramount, you've got my attention.
Check out CNBC on the "mystery movie trailer"
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