Looks like Google is inspiring Facebook this time around.
Facebook just rolled out its new Subscriptions features last week, a useful enhancement that addresses one of the pains of Facebook users that have a plethora of friends. The Subscription function will allow users to transcend the 5,000 contact limit on Facebook, and enables a "power user" to follow public figures, brands, and news outlets without having to send a friend request. Clicking the Subscribe button makes user engagement instant. The button doesn't apply to fan pages though, the Subscribe button only applies to friends and random contacts.
At TechCrunch's Disrupt Conference, Jason Kincaid asked Mike Schroepfer, Vice President of Engineering at Facebook, what his favorite Google+ feature is. He didn't mention anything but later explained that, "the challenge with this is that anytime we launch something, you can say it's a response to X or Y." Schroepfer believes competition is great, and it gives people options then choose which social platform carries the best service. However, "best service" is a bit a vague nowadays when social platforms are seemingly "copying" each other. It's a matter of how firm and coherent a social network's userbase is. Are users ready to abandon their current social graphs for a new social platform's service? I bet not. It's not a case of best service; it's a matter of how broad a social network's reach is.
But does offering the "best" service includes getting ideas from another social network's features? The Subscribe button obviously suggests one-way follows. One-way follows? Hmmm. I smell hints of Google+ and Twitter. Some of my colleagues agree on one thing: there's really no original social network in terms of functions, yet it's good if you can make the function or service even better. However, copying is either a good thing or a bad thing. Proof? Facebook's Deals, Questions, and Places are shelved already.
A month ago, I blogged how Facebook is somewhat coming up with functions that has a similarities to other social platforms, from Skype chat integration that challenges Google Hangouts to Facebook's paid wall ads which resemble Twitter promoted tweets, Facebook is broadening its grasp on the social web to make users and businesses stay. But Facebook is not copying Google, it is doing a Google. And what does Google do? It commoditizes everything. Welcome to the social web where every service or function is becoming a valuable asset.
An article from
Filed Under:
Social Media Updates