What We Can Learn From Facebook's Privacy Blow Up

Did you sever any connections on May 31? That was the day the Quit Facebook movement targeted in protest of the social networking giant's privacy changes. A storm had been gathering since a December shift to the site's default sharing settings, cumulating in the launch of an ambitious project dubbed Open Graph in late April. In short, Open Graph is tied to the "Like" button you are surely now seeing all over the web. Facebook is encouraging web site owners to add additional interactivity for Facebook users and create more personalized browsing experiences. Despite an avalanche of attention from traditional media and blogs that trumped up the privacy risks of Open Graph, the much publicized Quit Facebook movement flopped. A mere 34,100 of the site's more than 450 million members committing to leaving. The number that actually carried through with that threat is likely far less. What can we learn from this?

As a business owner the lesson you should take away is that Facebook is merely a tool. Your business should have a presence there only if it remains an appropriate venue to connect with your customers and meaningfully engage them. If Facebook, the company, sours the public's opinion of their service then you should follow your customers wherever they choose to go next. Facebook without people has no value. Social media has proven too useful, engaging and empowering to live or die with the fortunes of one website. Go ask the former users of Friendster or MySpace if their desire to connect fell with the popularity of those networks. Your business approach to a new network would require some effort to learn the different features, quirks, and community norms, but your core social media skills will remain vital. Regardless of the website you want to be a genuine person, not a spammer. You want to engage with quality content. You want to show the real people on the other end of the conversation that you actually care and are listening. These are not Facebook specific skills.

Facebook's rocky first half of 2010 is also a testament to the power of online communities. While only a small number ended up actually quitting the service, a chorus of individuals voiced their concerns loudly and the company responded. Facebook's woefully complicated privacy settings were clarified, simplified and made more robust in response to the outcry. Competing networks and new upstarts stood up and took notice of the public's desire for better privacy controls, thus improving their own offerings. We should not discount how much power the crowd had in this incident. They commanded real change and continue to let no new policy go unscrutinized. Networks may come and go, but the desire to be social will remain. Recognize Facebook for what it is, a customer service tool that is only part of your larger strategy, and you will be able to adapt when changes occur.

...from a series of Social Media articles I've been contributing to the Business Link newspaper, with editions in Niagara, Hamilton-Halton and Brantford.