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Q&A: Andrew Keen on the death of Facebook and the future of the web

Andrew Keen is a former entrepreneur who has since recanted his enthusiasm for Silicon Valley and come out as an outspoken opponent of Web 2.0. Keen is no stranger to controversy. His 2007 book “Cult of the Amateur” argued against the wisdom of crowds and he is known for incendiary commentary, like the time he likened Web 2.0 to a communist society or when he told Stephen Colbert that the Internet is worse than Nazism. In case you were wondering, here’s his definition of blogging: “It’s all about digital narcissism, shameless self-promotion. I find it offensive."

Keen now writes at The Great Seduction, twitters @ajkeen, and speaks on a variety of topics. This week, Keen wrote that Facebook’s infusion of $200 million from Russian investors signaled “the final act of the Web 2.0 tragi-comedy.” Econsultancy caught up with him via phone while he was in Alabama this week (“studying the natives”) to discuss the death of Web 2.0 and what comes next.

by Meghan Keane 29 May 2009 15:12pm 10 comments

Social networking -- a different kind of friendship

Have you ever wondered how close (and mutually influential) the social network friendships are? If you're an online marketer, you more than likely have; especially when Facebook opened up for ads a few months ago.

by Geno Prussakov 28 May 2009 20:39pm 5 comments

New on Facebook: Pope Benedict

Even the Old Testament could use a little help from new media. Starting this week, Pope Benedict XVI is on Facebook.

Facebook users will not be able to friend the pope or throw sheep at him, but they will be able to sign up for personalized daily messages at www.pope2you.net.

The new website provides access to the Pope's dedicated YouTube channel, an application that sends messages from Pope Benedict via Facebook, and Vatican news sent straight to the iPhone.

by Meghan Keane 22 May 2009 16:40pm 2 comments

Your photos, immortalized on Facebook

When you delete a photo that you had uploaded to a social network, what happens?

You might expect that it's deleted. After all, why would Facebook, for instance, want to store that old photo of you and Aunt Hilda any longer than it has to? Even you don't want that photo.

by Patricio Robles 22 May 2009 09:01am 2 comments

Is app revenue sharing the secret to Facebook's future profitability?

Facebook may have 75.5 million monthly visitors, but the world's most popular social network is not getting by on advertising alone. This month, estimates for total revenue from applications will be roughly equal to Facebook's profit through advertising. And it seems like Facebook is looking for cash in on that lucrative market.

According to AdAge:

Facebook is testing a payments system with some of its developers that would enable one-click buying of virtual goods and services on the Facebook platform, with Facebook taking either a percentage of the transaction or a flat fee. In addition, Facebook is testing a service to allow users or advertisers to buy and trade "credits" or a virtual currency to facilitate commerce. Spokesman Brandon McCormick said three tests of the system will commence in the coming weeks.

by Meghan Keane 19 May 2009 19:54pm 2 comments

Twitter co-founder says no to ads

Speaking at a conference today, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone told the audience not to expect to see ads anytime soon on the popular microblogging platform.

"There are a few reasons why we're not pursuing advertising--one is, it's just not quite as interesting to us." Stone said.

by Rebecca Lieb 19 May 2009 19:06pm 3 comments

Q&A: Steve Heyes of LearnAsOne on using Twitter for charity

We've looked at how charities are using Twitter before; The Dog's Trust is one good example of how causes can be promoted on the site. Another is LearnAsOne, which will be aiming to Tweet from a community in Zambia.

LearnAsOne is a charity that has launched a project to build a community school in Zambia, and will be using Twitter, and its blog to promote the scheme and encourage donations, as well as showing people how their money is being spent.

The charity was set up by Steve Heyes; he is out in Zambia now and will be documenting the project for the next two weeks. I've been asking Steve about his use of social media.

by Graham Charlton 11 May 2009 13:43pm 2 comments

Social media is about the steak, not the sizzle

When you read a news story about social media or come across a job posting for a 'social media expert', chances are the tools of social media will be front and center.

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace. If you had no exposure to social media, you'd probably assume that these popular services were the end all and be all of social media.

by Patricio Robles 11 May 2009 11:10am 6 comments

Distribution vs. dependence

With the rise of 'open platforms' on the web, particularly on popular consumer-oriented services like Facebook and Twitter, it's never been easier for individuals and small upstarts to get their applications in front of millions of consumers quickly and efficiently.

The appeal of open platforms is easy to understand: instead of having to deal with the dreaded chicken and egg challenge most new consumer internet upstarts have to contend with, you can leverage the existing userbases of popular services.

by Patricio Robles 06 May 2009 09:10am 1 comment