While I am fascinated by Facebook’s new platform move, Scott has an insight that made me pause. He points out the similarities of AOL and facebook, as in how they are now beginning to aggregate applications targeted at the audience they can deliver.
His last word is:
Careful
Cem Sertoglu 
Advocating Facebook
Cem Sertoglu points to Scott Heifermans thoughts on the new Facebook Platform; you should take a look at it. I agree with the points he discusses:
Proprietary languages are always bad!
No need to add clutter with too many features
But in Faceb…
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I would argue the demise of AOL is due to its disappearing access business not due to lack of quality or functionality of their walled garden. They couldn’t find a way to make it free to their users. (I remember being charged 5$ for accessing the walled garden while I was getting my internet access from SBC)
The danger here for Facebook is the quality of these 3rd party services. They could overall diminish the Facebook brand value/usefulness if they are not done properly.
Internet businesses are ever transforming, yesterday’s success formula may not be correct for tomorrow. Facebook will also go down because the success is the enemy of experiment, and in this type of business experimentation is the only way to new success.
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I would argue the demise of AOL is due to its disappearing access business not due to lack of quality or functionality of their walled garden. They couldn’t find a way to make it free to their users. (I remember being charged 5$ for accessing the walled garden while I was getting my internet access from SBC)
The danger here for Facebook is the quality of these 3rd party services. They could overall diminish the Facebook brand value/usefulness if they are not done properly.
Internet businesses are ever transforming, yesterday’s success formula may not be correct for tomorrow. Facebook will also go down because (not soon though, they first will grow and become very successful, ask yourself why MySpace is not trying these things) and the success is the enemy of experiment, and in this type of business experimentation is the only way to new success.
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