Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

webskipper — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:01:37 -0000

Hey ,Nice post.Facebook is in full effect. you forget another great facebook blog http://facebookster.com/blog/

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

mel — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:01:31 -0000

Microsoft really needs to get it's act together. Slipping further away from usefulness and becoming a hassle to work around.

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Joshua Gooding — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:34:12 -0000

I have been horribly depressed since FB opened up to everyone. So much for being an academic social network. As far as I am concerned FB is doomed to become another MySpace.

Although, I like Westy's idea: classes of friends

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Nikhil Roy — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 01:46:10 -0000

Well first off - MS did buy tell me and leave them alone for the most part (or so it appears), so dont completely give up on that end...

Facebook? I say go at it alone - create the platform for the web - take on MS and google!!

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Michael — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:13:50 -0000

Anybody using TED.com ? It seems to be the social networking site for thinkers and doers!

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Westy — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:15:51 -0000

What would I do?

I would buy and integrate both Linked In and Geni, creating 3 classes of 'friends'.
Business, Friends (true social friends), and Family

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Jeremy Blanchard — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:46:39 -0000

What would I do?

I would not sell. I would either go public or stay private if I were them. So far, they have proven to be masters of innovation.

Although, Facebook Apps might have been their last original idea and now they are just going to ride it for all it's worth. If that is the case, then *they* know that they should sell, but I bet they have many more cards up their sleeves.

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Chris — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:27:24 -0000

Between this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/...
1.5B to alcotel-lucent

9 Billion for the anti-trust crap from 2002-2005
http://www.theinquirer.net/...

And a nice 7 Billion for facebook

That should total close to 20 Billion in the past 5 years in investments with little or no return.
Had the claria deal went through, you could have tacked on 500M to that ongoing total. I secretly wished it did.

What does that mean for MSFT investors?
No more divend payouts. A drop in confidence, and Ballmer finally booted out the door, with somebody telling him not to let the door hit him in the *ss on the way out. And a slow decent for MSFT in the same way borland did a few years ago.

I hope MSFT does buy facebook. I wish it.

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Megan — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:11:46 -0000

I couldn't agree with you more, Robert! You have echoed EXACTLY the worry I have had since I read about the 6BN or however many BN phantom offer to buy Facebook. Microsoft is not able to even manage their own products and technologies in a forward-thinking, value-adding - - CUSTOMER SERVING - - way! How on earth would they be able to manage an acquisition this hot and still keep it hot and let it grow as it should? My only concern with your #1 pick is that you say YAHOO (OK, IPO, first; YAHOO, second). My hunch has been for some time is that Microsoft is trying to scoop up Yahoo. You can see small signs of it..lnot only in small press tidbits, but especially in how they are re-making Windows Live Messenger to look EXACTLY like Yahoo Messenger (OK, it's still SLOW and too cluttery, but the similarities are too telling). So, where would we be if Yahoo bought Facebook and then Microsoft bought Yahoo? Ooooh, I don't even want to contemplate it! Brings me back to my original idea to plead with Mr. Zuckerberg - - please! Don't sell your soul to the devil! Sorry for the verbose comment...Keep up the good stuff, Robert! Cheers!

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

paulfabretti — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 04:15:06 -0000

Make it a co-operative so that every member is a stakeholder and has a responsibility to ensure the safe and continued growth of the business, led by a facebook-member appointed committee with facebook election campaigns and erm...other things!

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Robert Scoble — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 02:46:44 -0000

Paul: Twitter hype is coming back later this week.

>It’s getting to the point that I’m thinking you are being paid to hype Facebook. Which I’m sure is not true, but it almost seems that way.

I'm not the only one hyping it up. Consensus at dinner tonight is it is THE THING to pay attention to on the Web right now.

Until someone convinces me there's something more important (I note you didn't try to do that) then I'll keep talking about Facebook and iPhone.

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

valleyblogzine — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:34:58 -0000

I suspect Facebook will eventually get bought over by one of the 300 Pound gorrilas you mentioned Google/Yahoo!/Microsoft or even IAC. This however may not happen anytime soon but after all the hype has died down. Monetization of social networks is still a very nascent science and there in will lie Facebook's challenge.

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

John — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:08:12 -0000

I am a Microsoftie. But I have to sadly admit:
Forget the Microsoft Execs killing Facebook. The Microsoft Office Org where Facebook might get shoved into is filled with feature-crazy dinosaurs. They will decide to strip widgets from Facebook and make them web-parts on Sharepoint!

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

LayZ — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:07:21 -0000

@31 "“If you had $2B of your own money on the line, would you buy Facebook?”

No, the real question is, would you get more than $2BB value out of it? Otherwise, why would you part with your $2BB. And for a business, if they bought Facebook, how soon would they make their money back, and then start MAKING money on it? If that wasn't the goal, then why buy it?

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

anon — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:02:45 -0000

Going public or selling out is just about cashing out. If Zuckerberg wants to change the world, Facebook should stay private. Google should have stayed private too: they could have been smaller, more secretive, moved faster and not had to answer to anyone.

As for facebook, this has been done before with MySpace and geocities before that. The number of features have grown but the layout of facebook doesn't really make it a "platform". I'm not going to sign up for a facebook account to read RSS feeds.

As for Microsoft, anytime they buy something it's the kiss of death. Look what they did to hotmail after all these years. That had the potential to be a #1 platform... how it's stagnated should be a case study in business school curriculum.

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Kisholi — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 23:23:55 -0000

As several folks mentioned, what I personally want and what I would do if I was Mark are two entirely different things.

If I owned FB, it probably have been sold much earlier so that I could retire to some obscure little place in the mountains with no wires and low accessibility. As an enthusiastic user, I'm having spasms just thinking about what MS would do to FB. Please God, no. Mark should stay independent for as long as possible.

I'm a big Google junkie and wouldn't really mind them taking over most of the world, but I don't want *anyone* touching FB.

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

smorty71 — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:56:26 -0000

Wow, Mario is a true believer :)

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Michael Gannotti — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:40:08 -0000

Whether it's Microsft, someone else, or if they stay private I would really like to see Facebook continue on its present course of becoming a platform and of facilatating community. I think that one of its biggest strengths is how it facilitates the creation of cross organizational communities in a relatively (for the web) secure and controlled environment. The addition of apps is great and needed but I think it is this community aspect that will help to really give it legs as it facilitates/fosters discourse and networking in a world where we are all scrambling to keep up with the technical churn, and where who you know is becoming as important, or more so, than what you know. Access, and interaction with many minds provides synergy beyond the individual and I think Facebook has really nailed tat aspect. Some added functionality is needed and some kinks to iron out but I think they are best positioned to provide this service that will grow in importance over the next several years technology developments continue to evolve the workplace at an ever quickining pace. If an organization was to purchase it I would hope they would continue to build on these aspects and not morph it in to something else with short sighted vision.

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

mario romero — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:27:09 -0000

@smorty71: It's hard to think of such huge amounts of money, but yeah, I think it's pretty safe to say if you want to lend me the money I'll make an offer ;)

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

TanNg — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:25:26 -0000

@Scoble. Google reader is destroying value of blogs, because the most interesting part of blog is comment section, but Google reader makes you ignore that. So I'm surprising why do you praise it so often.

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Rocky Barbanica — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:04:33 -0000

If it were worth a billion, why wouldn't you sell? how much more do you need? Seriously- greed is going to pummel these people. The lawyers will get the dough.

Rocky-

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

smorty71 — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 21:37:38 -0000

Actually Mario, Jason Kottke got it exactly right.

http://www.kottke.org/07/06...

I would love to hear Robert (or anyone else here) explain just what makes Facebook worth $2B. I've heard a lot of hyperpole, but very little else.

I think a better question is "If you had $2B of your own money on the line, would you buy Facebook?"

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Matt Campbell — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 21:24:41 -0000

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. Come on Scoble, we get that Facebook is the next best thing to sliced bread but come on, there is other news besides Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. It's getting to the point that I'm thinking you are being paid to hype Facebook. Which I'm sure is not true, but it almost seems that way.

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

paul — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 21:23:53 -0000

What ever happened to that Twitter nut case?

Re: Why Microsoft doesn’t deserve Facebook

Krish — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 21:23:35 -0000

Amen to Josh. Facebook should remain private as long as they can and then go public. But I would also like Facebook to open up a bit more. The idea that my data is held inside a proprietary system sends jitters through me.