More on Facebook. Okay, I'm done now. It's out of my system.

Noah opted not to respond to Tuesday's anti-Facebook rant, but decided to comment in person, saying that it was unfair/naive of me to expect Facebook not to try to make money. Obviously, I know that people (programmers in particular) don't do things without expecting other things in return. So yeah, money is definitely the goal for Facebook developers, and they're entitled to it. However, what Facebook is doing is, simply, destroying the vibe that their community was founded upon. Once that's destroyed, why would you want to continue to hang out there?

From the perspective of a consumer, and not a FB user, I don't believe that the method Zuckerberg et cie. have developed is a bad one at all. They've successfully given a readable identity to a previously anonymous consumer. It will most definitely revolutionize the way advertisers target us, and put the products we want easily within our grasp. However, the social networking scene is NOT where that belongs. Aggregated consumer data juxtaposed with individual profiles on a social networking site has the look and, most importantly, the feel of living in an Orwellian nightmare. They should have known better.

As much as I was trying to cast my grievances in a humorous light the other day, I am seriously disappointed in FB for this new set of changes they've implemented over the past few months. We, the participants, are what makes that scene, not Blockbuster's ad revenues. And sure, there's always space for site developers to reign in some cash from corporate sponsors, but they have to find a model that does not intrude in the unique experience that site provides. Facebook has not done that.

And you know what? As much as I prefer Facebook's crisp, clean, aesthetic (or did), it's MySpace that actually succeeds at being a social networking platform that maintains its particular vibe while making plenty of money in ad revenue. MySpace, ugly as it is, never forgot that it was a community first, and as it expanded in scope, it did it in ways that were consistent with its user base and original goal. MySpace became a forum: for independent music, for political debate, for camwhores seeking the limelight, etc. And although some of the fruits were deplorable (Tila Tequila?!), they were lucrative, and still showed respect for the community.

And lo, the Beacon Ad campaign has been abandoned! Hooray!