The Giant Facebook Sucking Sound: Blogger "About Face" or Hedge?

Can you hear it?  Listen!  I'm talking about that unmistakable sucking sound of Facebook methodically drawing the marketing crowd into its orbit. Yes, I'm definitely a late-entrant, so take my Johnny-come-lately musings with a grain of salt, but I'm just sensing that the marketing community pace-setters are colonizing Facebook with unusual zeal and passion.  I just can't tell if it's a sustainable trend, or a land-grab by those (like me) who felt like we didn't hang up our shingle fast enough in the blogosphere to get the early, sometime blind, link-love.  All I know is that I'm now checking Facebook more than my blog, and I just sense the "A-list bloggers" have found a new center of universe -- some, perhaps, as a "defensive" hedge to ensure they are not rendered less relevant by the ever changing CGM currents.  What really gives, and I merely going to CGM-hop to the next fashionable party in the next few months? And why isn't this happening on MySpace? I frankly think a number of things are going on, and this is just one in a series of "About Face?" posts?

What's Up With Robert Scoble:   The first leading indicator that got my eyebrows going up was the intense activity by uber-influencer (and uber humble, I can't resist adding) Robert Scoble across Facebook.  It wasn't just that I got a "friend invite" from him that got my attention (although I was flattered); it's just that he seems to be leaving a dynamic, energy-rich digital trail all over Facebook. Is this deja vu!  Didn't he do this before?   Is his insanely popular blog not doing the trick on a stand-alone basis?  Then there's Kevin Dugan, one of the first PR junkies on the web, who's not only pushing the limits of PR communication (he sent me a well produced Facebook video on the future of impact of PR this weekend) but he seems to be leaving a digital trail all over the place.  Why is he running so fast?  More fulfilling?  Opportunity to finally leapfrog the indefatigable Steve Rubel via a new channel?  Or this just his natural state, more accurately expressed via Facebook than other platforms.   

My Own Addictions:  I'm blogging this because I feel the sucking sound myself, although I too feel like I've been here before, going as far back as early 1990s AOL forums...or even Compuserve Groups.  Gotta tell you, it feels good to seed the first harvest in your (real or imagined) area of expertise. Imagine my surprise (and joy) when I created a Facebook group on Consumer-Generated Media (yes, I was paranoid someone would beat me to the punch) and within days I had had 58 members (and with no advertising...until now).  Question is: can I keep this up, and how do I balance this with my other publishing platforms?  Does something have to give?   Interestingly, I'm already about to close one of the experimental groups I started on Facebook. There's only so much one can do.

Last Word: More Lemming Than Leader:  Now, don't think for a second I'm giving an unqualified endorsement to the Facebook platform.  Frankly, I don't really have a credible voice on the matter (as yet) as I'm still on training wheels. Indeed, I'm more lemming that leader at this juncture.  And it could for all I know be a big flash in the pan.  But let's push the exploratory a bit.  We can just blame it on Robert Scoble.  I welcome thoughts.

Comments

[Kevin Dugan]

Pete - My take on this is that social networks like Fbook are part of an ecosystem along with blogs and platforms like Twitter. They all contribute something.

Dunno if I see one taking the lead over the other, but rather a mix of them all contributing to the conversation.

[Paul Dunay]

Nice post and congrats on your #9 spot on Being Peter Kim's Top 20 marketing blogs - I have been following your blog.

I wanted to point you to a survey of B2B marketers of their favorite Web 2.0 tools

here is the survey link
http://pro5.sgizmo.com/survey.php?SURVEY=2VG35UWR8REZZIXYCRXMEI5NIOBTU7-4519-1303488&pswsgt=1186002487

here is a directory of the results
http://www.directimpactnow.com/leadgentools/web2-tools-directory.html

and here is B2B Marketing Magazine's coverage of it
http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070716/FREE/70716017/1109/FREE

and here is my most recent post on it
http://buzzmarketingfortech.blogspot.com/2007/08/b2b-marketers-vote-on-best-web-20-tools.html

best
Paul Dunay

PS let me know if you would like to do a podcast with me sometime

[Weave]

I agree with Dugan: I see people simultaneously dialoging in Twitter/Jaiku/Pownce, Facebook/Ning and UStream. Although I predict social networking exhaustion for we early adopters and perhaps a community shakeout in the relatively near future. I always loves me some good Scobleizer but how long can/should we spend on FB, playing Scrabulous, monitoring minifeeds and answering Likeness questions, before we get bored or burnt out?

Also will be interesting to see how brands make the shift to FB and Twitter. First attempts seem WAY clumsy and overly commercial. I think people will reject an invasion by our marketing brethren as self-serving and sleazy.

Dig your blog, by the way. Just found it and it's nice to hear another voice waving the Consumer Voice flag. :)

http://www.branddialogue.com