…just to put that on the record. I think there is a system of advertising that leverages what Mark has popularized as the “social graph”. It’s as big or bigger as AdWords/AdSense was. But I’m not convinced Facebook is going to nail this, any more than early search companies nailed AdWords. Why?
Because:
1. The social contract is not yet baked. By that, I mean the mainstream of society has not yet come to terms with the power/responsibility of our clickstream/digital social capital.This cannot be underestimated. AdWords came at the right time, in the right circumstances. It’s not like Bill Gross didn’t have it mostly right…
2. The entirely reasonable possibility that Facebook is entirely right, but not at the right time. In other words, as Alta Vista was to search, Facebook may be to social networking. What, then, was Friendster? Er…World Wide Web Wanderer?
3. The technology is hard, but not that hard. What might prove harder is getting the marketing supply chain to come along for the ride in time…
OK, there is SO much more to write. But soon, soon. I have a conference to produce first.