the influencer is you

NYTimes Desperate For Pageviews

Is Facebook doomed to someday become an online ghost town, run by zombie users who never update their pages and packs of marketers picking at the corpses of social circles they once hoped to exploit? Sad, if so. Though maybe fated, like the demise of a college clique.

via www.nytimes.com

Interesting article from another journalist that wants to drive up her page views by dissing Facebook. Facebook is far housing the exodus Virginia Heffernan describes. Just look at the data

Ryan Tate points out: "Just six months earlier, though, she wrote that Facebook showcased a "perfect" cultural vitality. And she cited the same source."

I do like the quote from Leif Harmsen that says, "It is note 'your' Facebook profile. It is Facebook's profile about you." I couldn't agree more. People and brands alike need to control the data behind their social relationships and not be dependent upon Facebook to provide them with access to their valuable data.

My Saturday Morning Media Habits

After my morning Peet’s coffee, I log into Facebook and see what a my friends and family are up to. Some have updates fed via Twitter, some link to their blog posts, some are just posting their breakfast contents (enough of that already!) and some are sharing pictures from their Friday night.

I love being able to see what my friends and family are up to.  

The last three movies I have seen were endorsed by the friends I trust, I get excited about events with other people I am going to see that night and more than ever, I can visually share in others experiences through photos, videos and detailed descriptions.

Social media is built into the fabric of our lifestyle.

I can’t tell you the last ad I saw on Facebook. I don’t really go to MySpace anymore and the only place I see display ads are on content sites (like ESPN.com or IGN.com) or blogs.

This has got to scare the crap out of brands.

Making Money On Facebook

Each day, I start my day with a "medium in a large cup from the most recently brewed" vat of their daily brew from Peet's Coffee. I love Peet's Coffee. I am a member of the Peet's Facebook Fan page along with 15K other people. How can Peet's sort out the most die-hard fans and empower them to spread the word? Wouldn't it be cool as a Peet's brand manager to have an aggregated profile of the 15K fans? Knowing more about the enthusiasts would allow the brand manager to unlock the power of social media marketing. If they sent me information about their company and made it personal, I would be thrilled. If they shot me a coupon for a new blend, I would not stop talking about how they "get it." Since I love the brand so much, when I get a poorly brewed cup, I wouldn't be as hard on them.

Here's a great article talking about the "gold mine facebook refuses to explore." As social nets grow up in their monetization efforts I think exposing their data in a way that allows the brands insight into sentiment, trends, competitive efforts, etc. would be a great complement to their current advertising offerings.  Being able to identify, empower and champion brand advocates with "the inside scoop" is a great way for brands to leverage social media & most importantly recognize how the media landscape is changing. 

Right now, Peet's can join the conversation with their fans on their wall, directly through email or through posting stories, pictures, videos or even coupons. In order to scale this capability, Facebook needs to arm marketers with tools that allow for consumer insight on the demo/psychographics of their fan base, trends on who they are attracting and reports that show the cause and effect of any actions that Peet's might take on Facebook that can ultimately generate an ROI.

What do you think?