Most seem to miss the point about FB marketing, but a few have hit the nail on the head.
For those who think branding is hitting the nail on the head you cannot even begin to imagine what has already been branded onto your foreheads. Facebook and all other forms of exploitation of personal privacy, dignity is a better word, for financial gain will be dealt with, inventory of unethical business practices is being taken. Our advances in technology are magnificent when applied for the proper reasons. But sadly, technological development has outpaced our social skills of being able to regulate it. As a community of internet marketers and developers we should be policing ourselves to establish social moral guidelines. Some stones should be left unturned. Why is there such an obsessive compulsive need to try to sell someone something where ever they gather in the world, whether online or offline?!
But, I can say with conviction, there is an underlying force to all that is and that will forever be but it lags a little before implementing correction. For those who get discouraged by the current state of online affairs; take heart. It doesn't happen overnight but the process of correction is in place, and always has been. The current campaign began on 29 September, 2008. By design the Dow Jones Industrial average tumbled 777.68 points -- it's framed between the 2 numbers of consciousness. And in that frame you can see a beautiful picture, or an ugly one, depending on what's "branded" onto your forehead. I suspect the current worldwide economic situation is going to get worst, much worst, before it begins to improve because greedy people are in charge of trying to fix it. No matter, it will work itself out.
So for all these fantastic numbers of page views that Facebook is claiming, or whoever is monitoring it on their behalf, please realize that many of those views are cries of despair from bewildered souls seeking a deeper purpose, hoping minute by minute, that someone, somewhere is going to post a nugget of knowledge (freely with no commercialism attached) to their walls. For those who continue to exploit those individuals, shame is yours.
There is nothing wrong with an online social gathering place until it becomes controlled by a select few who commercialize it for their own financial gain. Capitalism is a very dirty word. Online gathering places can serve their purpose but they need to be decentralized. I know Facebook must incur extraordinary costs associated with the kind of infrastructure that must need to be in place to support the activities of giving people that space. I guess for now it will continue to exist supported by the "branders". Ignorance is still very much alive and well.
But, it has to change, and will, maybe peer-to-peer is the answer? I don't know, but the current trend is destructive for our collective well-being. I know at times my words can be fiery, but it is never with ill intention. Please people, lets work together to turn this social media marketing trend around and demonstrate we really do have intelligence, or else wait to have it turned around for us. The latter option will be more painful and a generation of our loved ones will be lost. Time has arrived for "branders" to be culled and lead to the slaughterhouse, not the sheep they are branding. To whom do you pledge your allegiance?
