Canadian Facebook Got Better

Recently the Canadian Government passed a law requiring large tech firms like Meta and Google to negotiate deals with news providers for their content. The argument was since these large corporations that are pretty darn good at what they do, demand the lion's share of advertising dollars, they should be paying to use content that has been traditionally funded by these advertising dollars. To a simpleton, this looks like a good idea. The politicians who brought forward the law did not expect what happened next.

Meta and Google stopped allowing Canadian news on their platforms.

These companies are not public utilities. They did not require a charter to operate in Canada and they are free to manage their organization as they see fit.

News was not a big part of their platform traffic. However, it could be argued it was the most annoying part of their platform. Articles would get shared. Since most news agencies don't really give us the news anymore but in fact are trying to tell us how to think, inane arguments would break out that would solve nothing. The public discourse would not be for the greater good and it all would help feed the unreasonable tribalism that is growing in Canada.

If you think about what Facebook was when it changed the internet forever. It was a place for people to share their life and connect with people they knew. It exploded because you could keep people in your life that were not in your close proximity. That isn't what Facebook is today. Most people don't share original content. In fact most don't share any content but if they do, it is something that resonates with them but was created by someone else. I think it was inevitable that we would get to this place. Most people are not very good at expressing themselves.

Since the news has disappeared from Facebook in Canada I have found it to be a better online platform. I'm seeing more from people I know. I'm not sure if they are sharing more or if what they are sharing is cutting through the noise but it really doesn't matter. No longer are people posting news articles trying to bait others into arguments. With news out of the way, I'm more likely to be shown content that I want to consume. I know the algorithm looks at everything I do and tries to find me things I'll read but for a long time a lot of it wasn't worth reading. Too much news, not enough fun. Now there is more fun.

Facebook can still be a huge time suck. There are better things to do with my time than scroll on social media. However, I like to be connected and have a bit of a finger on the pulse. Because there is no editorial standard you encounter a lot of garbage but you also encounter some very raw truths. You end up seeing some of the best of people and of course you see the bad in people as well.

The Canadian Government inadvertently made Facebook better and over time I think that more and more Canadian will not want to go back to what it was.

Unoriginal Facebook

I like the tool known as Facebook. When I was faced with a decision to remain in Winnipeg or move to Ottawa, where I basically knew nobody, knowing that I could remain connected to the people in my life that matter helped sway my decision to move. As we all know, Facebook helps you know what's happening in your friends lives without having to call, text, or write a letter. This is most useful if you live a long way from a lot of your friends and family.

Now here's the thing, Facebook used to be a bastion of original content. Users would write on each other's wall and provide status updates about what is happening in their lives. It was a human interaction over the internet. However, as the platform has evolved, different types of users have evolved.

We have the guilt trippers. You know the people who copy and paste someone's status that says a small percentage will copy and paste this for an hour and only my true friends will do it to raise awareness for the cause of the hour. Let's be honest, this is just an extension of hashtag activism. These are so common that I can't imagine too many people read them to the end anymore.

We have the angry re-posters. These are the folks who have a burr under their saddle about something and post meme after meme that says this group is not good or the government should be doing this with a request to like and share if you agree. Nothing here is original.

There are those who share recycled content. It's usually something funny, a meme or a short clip. The content keeps popping up for a couple of months, sometimes from a different source but it gets so much retread action that eventually, nobody is liking or commenting on it. They don't even stop as they scroll past anymore.

There are all the MLM sales pitches. I work in sales. This is my advice to you, prospect with your vocal chords. People don't like to say no, so make them say no, not write no, say no. It's real easy to scroll past you and say nothing, which doesn't make you any money. No matter how well written your post is, it doesn't force action or a response. It's ok to remind people what business you are in but don't expect this reminder to make you any money. Set up a business page and drive users there after they become prospects. Facebook is much more effective at staying in contact with your customers than creating new customers.

There are the people who still post about what's up in their lives. I mostly reside here. I know my posts proclaiming victory for my favourite sports teams are not particularly original. However, I do like to post about what I see, usually something good that's happened to me or info that I feel people would appreciate such as career changes (there has been a few lately) a cool moment, a picture I took that captured my imagination or a selfie (especially with my super-awesome girlfriend.) I like this content. I like to see what is going on with the people who matter to me. I like to share some of what is going on around me.

I admit, I'm no expert at providing the best mix of content on Facebook. I have friends who share and write a much better mix than I do. I look forward to their updates as I'm often surprised, inspired, or provoked. They often generate great discussion. They make me smile and make me think. I wish there was more of them in my news feed. 

So much of Facebook is unoriginal content. So many people don't share what they are thinking. They post an article but don't say why they feel the need to share that piece or simply write is 'lol.' I know that when you say something original you open yourself up to criticism. I know it's discouraging. I know it's easier to post a funny video and there is a place for those. However, be original. It can help you grow. It can make you think. In the comments ask questions. Find out why the poster feels this is important enough to post. Learn about yourself and the people around you. Say something to spark a conversation. Ask why does it have to be this way. Pose a better way. Say something about your day. Cheer for the home team. 

Facebook is a platform. It does not create content, that's user generated. So, to make everyone's online experience better, put more original content on Facebook. It will ultimately lead to a richer experience for everyone.

Facebook is Only the Platform

If you are a Facebook user, your timeline is probably filling up with one minute videos recapping what people have posted over their time on the grand-daddy of social networks. It is a nice way to look back as the site has now been around for a decade.

There have been a lot of changes to Facebook in the last decade as they try to remain relevant. Some have worked out well and some have not. It is like every product, if you don't try to move forward you will slip back. 

I have heard a lot of complaints about Facebook. A few are about what the company has done with the site but many more are about how there is too much drama or how you can't just post what you want because some people may react badly.

Facebook is only the platform that is used to display user generated content. It does produce a permanent record of the conversation but it is not the site that is saying mean things, its the users you choose to connect with. If you are not having a positive experience with Facebook because of the content, don't blame Mark et al. You need to look at what you are saying and who you are saying it to.

I try to only post positive things on Facebook. I don't always succeed but if I do get some negative feedback, it is easy to go back over it since everything is recorded. If you find there is too much drama on Facebook, leaving Facebook will not remove that drama from your life because you are still going to be connected to the same people in your physical life.

Facebook may or may not be around for ever. I think it depends on how easy it is for users to share and restrict the information they want. If it is easy to do what people want, it has the critical mass to be around for a long time. If you don't like what people are saying on Facebook, you need to look at the people in your life and if they are really the type of people you want to engage with. Facebook isn't the problem, it only highlights the problem.

Facebook Flop

The big news in the business world has been the IPO for Facebook. First there was the chatter on the price that the IPO would be released at. Then there was the loss in value in the following days. Overall, a lot of news has been surrounding the plunge Facebook took into the world of the publically traded company.

Was it really a failure?

It raised a lot of capital for the company. Isn't that what going public is supposed to do?

I think some people thought that this IPO would make them rich overnight. It's not impossible to believe that. It has happened on IPOs in the past. If you look at Facebook as an organization there are some upsides and some downsides.

A lot of people use Facebook. A lot of people use Facebook a lot. The current information says that 900 million users log in at least once a month. That's a lot of potential. I think the big question is what is this potential of? What really is Facebook. It's a social network. We all know that but, what is a social network?

Facebook acts as different things to different users. It's a photo-sharing site. It's a sounding board. It's a games platform. It's an internet portal. It's a tool to communicate. It's a place to react.

If you look at Facebook as an organization you have to cut through the clutter a bit to see what they provide. They don't produce content. They just give us a platform to share ours. They aren't the movie, they are the screen it's projected on. So, if you are only the screen and not the show, how much power do you have?

As an organization, Facebook doesn't have a lot of control of the overall experience of an individual user. Most of what influences the quality of a user's Facebook experience is the people they are connected to through the network. Yes Facebook controls how your content is organized but they have almost no influence on what the content is. That being said, people put up billions of dollars to own a part of the screen and none of the movie.

Facebook doesn't have any revenue from mobile access. At least not yet. Most of my access to Facebook is through my iPhone or iPad. I am not on it very often from a computer. For what I use Facebook for, this suits me just fine and there are no ads chewing up bandwidth or screen space. However, I would be concerned if I was an investor. I know a lot of people who primarily access Facebook through mobile devices and if they can't find a way to generate revenue as this user group grows, they could be in trouble.

Facebook is free to users. This is critical. Even though a $1 per month user fee for its 900 million users would result in $10.8 billion in revenue annually, it would never fly. Users would just leave and find a free service. Since Facebook is the platform and not the conversation, we don't want to pay for it. The users already "pay" in a way by providing all the content. Without user content, there is no need for the platform and the network will fail and Facebook knows this.

So, has Facebook reached its apex in revenue? I don't know. The average user doesn't know what they are cooking up in the back room but, if they can remain as a relevant platform to stay connected with people, they are going to continue to be there which is a lot better than a lot of companies who lose their way.