A huge factor in an online business’s success is the ability to listen to what your consumers want, and then act on it. Justin Clemens feels that this is what cost MySpace its lead in the social networking arena.
“Everyone said it was ugly and the page was overcrowded, and it still is,” Clemens said via email. Protecting its users is also something MySpace has continually failed to do, he went on, citing the prevalence of spam accounts as well as the site’s difficulty protecting its younger patrons from would-be criminals. “Any site that is highlighted on ‘To Catch a Predator’ has some problems.”
Springbox is an “interactive services agency” offering everything from research and analytics to 3D modeling and advanced online marketing strategies. They’ve provided their services to Disney, AMD, LIVESTRONG, and Sony, among others—so basically, they know a thing or two about building and maintaining an effective online presence. Since the specifics of the panel discussion are being kept under wraps, I asked Clemens if, regarding the title, he would share some observations on how Facebook may be slipping up.
“There are two things going on right now that are starting to show some cracks in Facebook’s wall. There are a couple of studies out now that show younger users are getting Facebook Fatigue – they’re starting to look at Facebook as work, not fun. And if you lose the young audience in social media, you’re usually at the start of a downward spiral.” Anyone whose friends or family are constantly sending them FarmVille alerts knows all about this.
The second thing Clemens sees as a problem for Facebook is something he calls the “Mom Effect,” a twofold problem that consists of:
- Your parents, or other equally un-savvy types who you can’t just unfriend, polluting your news feed and inbox with spam, causing you to move on to a different social network.
- Keeping your parents (teachers, potential employers, ministers, etc) from seeing the pictures of you doing body shots out of that cute psych major’s belly button during Spring Break.
Keeping these groups separate and unaware of each other is hard work, Clemens says, which could be made easier by simply not being friends with certain people. “But if you’re not going to be friends with your real-life friends and family on Facebook, why be on Facebook at all?”
Of course, Facebook has been good about staying ahead of the game, and they’re taking steps to address the issues people may have with the site. But the panel isn’t just about Facebook, of course: the official description at http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/6731 says the panel will offer advice on future-proofing your social media efforts, as well as strategies for creating content that can be used across different media, and what to do if a platform you’re heavily involved with becomes unpopular.