Cnet reports that Facebook is launching a third-party commenting system in a matter of weeks.
This step is not surprising, and is in line with predictions about Facebook's wishes of becoming the web's infrastructure supplier, with the added bonus of dominating or at least channelling all related information through its social network. I have already expressed my doubts about this strategy, because of the clear limits players who wish to play as both infrastructure and content giants must face, and because of the problems most people's concepts of privacy will create for facebook in the coming years.
As a devout skeptic I always seek opportunities to prove myself wrong. No doubt Facebook comments is the best test-case for the key question: is the concept of privacy changing ? according to many commentators on the Cnet report, it isn't. According to the gentlemen Zuckerberg and Schmidt it is (the latter, at least temporarily). The acceptance of Facebook comments will help us all decide who is wrong.
This step is not surprising, and is in line with predictions about Facebook's wishes of becoming the web's infrastructure supplier, with the added bonus of dominating or at least channelling all related information through its social network. I have already expressed my doubts about this strategy, because of the clear limits players who wish to play as both infrastructure and content giants must face, and because of the problems most people's concepts of privacy will create for facebook in the coming years.
As a devout skeptic I always seek opportunities to prove myself wrong. No doubt Facebook comments is the best test-case for the key question: is the concept of privacy changing ? according to many commentators on the Cnet report, it isn't. According to the gentlemen Zuckerberg and Schmidt it is (the latter, at least temporarily). The acceptance of Facebook comments will help us all decide who is wrong.
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