Facebook turns 5 or Google is watching

or

So hard to decide when you have choices like this. Do I comment on Facebook being 5 and growing like crazy and still coming across a bit clueless on what they really have there, of do I comment on Google being able to pinpoint me wherever I am at specific times and to whomever I choose?

Okay let me take a stab a bit at both:

Facebook – it is great to have the world at your feet climbing as fast as imaginable and yet I know folks climbing aboard who don’t even know why. I believe they should have sold a year ago but there is still time for someone to overpay once the credit crunch subsides (don’t get me started on that). eBay buying Skype because there were so many folks using it but not being able to really monetize it the way they had hoped is an example of the old Internet. When I took my firs Internet gig the call was – put butts in seats and we will figure out how to make money with them. We were doing webcasting and no one had a real clue on how to make money with the butts we put into the seats – at least not enough to substantiate the costs of putting them there – but who cared – you didn’t need a real plan back then.

So how is Facebook going to make the kind of money folks think they can make there just because they have gotten the ability to put butts in seats – failed attempts so far have fallen very short – might not ever be realized to the extent some think possible.

Okay now Google being able to tell where I am (dubbed Google Latitude) but me having the ability to turn it on and off and only allow certain folks to know where I am and when.  But don’t worry Google is not storing the data – music please – something like star trek or big brother type music. While I am not sure how to think about this one it does have some real possibilities to me – on the other hand why not have a chip inserted when you are born much like getting a social security number at the hospital.

I would love to know your thoughts on the Google product – please comment.

Rick Simmons is a principal at Dinkum Interactive, a firm specializing in online marketing solutions for small and medium sized businesses around the globe. With more than 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing, Simmons has spent the last four years focused on search engine optimization, and other Internet marketing strategies. Reach him at 267-626-9094 or [email protected]