Facebook – Once bitten, twice shy

Tonight’s announcement risks being a big anti-climax.

• The last time Facebook made a “big announcement” the result was the spectacularly unambitious Facebook Graph Search.
• What could have been a big move to diversify away from social networking and take on the giants of the internet is nothing more than a better way to use what it already has.
• It adds nothing to the ability of Facebook to dominate the Internet.
• I fear that tonight’s announcement may be similar.
• “Our new home on Android” could mean anything from an upgrade to its existing application for Android smartphones and tablets all the way to an entire phone.
• Most commentators have gone for Facebook launching its own device which is something that has been on the cards for many years.
• 4 years ago it was developing a dedicated device on Android with INQ but now it is HTC that is in the frame.
• Whatever this announcement it is it should be judged in only one way.
• How does this announcement help Facebook expand its presence in Digital Life from just Social Networking to other activities?
• The more of Digital Life it can cover, the more time users will spend using its services and the more Facebook can learn about its users.
• This will be directly proportional to the amount of revenue that Facebook can earn from its users by selling targeted advertising.
• A device with a dedicated Facebook application won’t do much but if Facebook is deeply integrated then I could see it expanding its reach into instant messaging, telephony and so on.
• This is what I am hoping for but given the lack of vision and aggression management displayed with its last announcement, I am not hopeful.