When Facebook was “cool”
Remember when Facebook was “cool”? It was only a few years ago when Facebook was a start-up with a clean interface, exclusively focused on college students. For a short time, Facebook stood its ground, refusing to become another tool for “the man” (a.k.a. big business) to use, a path that infested and tarnished Myspace.com. The amount of flashy advertisements made Myspace.com messy, laggy, and, ultimately, annoying to navigate. Although Facebook finally turned itself over to the dark side, it has managed to maintain a sense of its initial purpose and integrity (like Darth Vader). Unlike Myspace.com, Facebook keeps advertisements minimal and noninvasive. Advertisements are kept to the side, aren’t flashy, have no videos, and don’t disrupt the user experience. At Facebook, I never had to worry about pop-up ads with loud sounds, that could possibly induce a seizure. Myspace.com may have nixed a few of it’s problems, but it’s a little late.
Facebook Turning Users Into Ads
If you’re a frequent user and commenter on Facebook, you may be displeased with the fact that you may be an unofficial advertisement for a company with your comments. Facebook recently announced that it will begin permitting advertisers the use of user comments for ad space, which will be called “Sponsored stories.” Whenever a user mentions a company/retailer in a comment/post, a sponsored ad with a company link will automatically appear beside their post. This will then be visible on the user’s friends’ news feed. The good thing is, user posts will not feature company advertisements if they have not interacted with the company in anyway. User actions that qualify as opt-ins for company advertisements include, “likes,” comments, and check-ins. Once a user unintentionally opts-in, they won’t be able to opt-out, unless they block friend status views. Companies will also be displayed beside a comment, whether the comment is positive or not.
The Good/The Bad
The new Facebook advertising vehicle is a great tool for marketers/advertisers,as it allows them to tap into the power of word-of-mouth advertising. It significantly eases a company’s marketing power and increase visibility. Because the sponsored ads are linked to user’s who have opted-in with the company beforehand, it makes it possible to reach relevant target markets.
However, what’s good for Facebook and retailers isn’t always good for consumers. The new advertising medium may become a bit of annoyance and invasive to users. It’s nice when ads sit to the side and easy to ignore, but a bit of an annoyance when they directly appear in your feed. How will user’s respond? We’ll have to wait and see how invasive these ads become.
There is also the danger of companies spamming comments for ad space. There are already a large portion of fake spamming Facebook accounts and blogs used for marketing purposes. This only further encourages them to increase their usage. Facebook will need to find a way to regulate comment spamming.
Written By: Daniel T
