subject: Facebook Offering Shares: The Beginning Or The End? [print this page] The day that Facebook goes public on the stock market will be exciting for many, but others consider it a cause for concern. What impact will this event have on the social network that has become such an integral part of our lives for so many people? It may be far too early to know for sure, but theres the sad possibility that it could destroy all of the elements that made the network so entertaining to begin with.
People enjoy having accounts because it offers an opportunity to interact with old friends and find new ones in a fluid online environment. Creator Mark Zuckerberg is constantly tinkering with the format so the page undergoes multiple changes annually. This fluid change in form, layout design and app function doesnt jive with everybody, who grow used to the state of the site and don't want to accept the constant, uncontrollable changes. However, these gradual changes have enabled the website to adapt as the amazing application that it is today.
Now that Facebook is a publicly-owned company, its themes will probably need to change. Its main concern will be making money rather than giving users an improving website. This may slow down page innovations, which could at first seem like a relief for many, but without those constant retools, it could begin to watch people move on to competitors.
Aside from the struggle between profit and creativity, however, there is the issue of marketing, and thats where the true concern comes in. Advertising brings Facebook profit, so it is necessary to its formula for success and even furthermore in the future. People whove gotten used to the website and don't want to abandon it may find themselves surrounded by marketing tailored to them based on their list of preferences. Since so many users have been online for many years, there has been plenty of opportunity to gather data on them as they harmlessly posted everything that caught their eye.
It does not seem so innocent now, and the growing anxieties about personal privacy might be enough to drive users away. The more people leave, the possibility grows other people will follow as their vision of the website breaks down. This series of events might Armageddon if the social network turns into little more than one big commercial platform.
Currently, the ads are present but don't get in the way much. This could prove to be an important shift in the sites evolution. But, it could also be its end. Will the hordes of surfers who lean on the site faily be so disconcerted with the new strategies that they leave? Would Zuckerberg ever try to levy a subscription fee for any part of the site? These are the questions that haunt users in the advent of Facebook's public trade.
