Re:Study: Mass exodus over Facebook privacy flap won't happen
by keefe on Saturday May 29, 2010 @12:34PM
(#1388899)
the other thing is, if you surveyed myspace users back in the day, you'd never have predicted the exodus to facebook once it appeared. Nobody leaves until there's a viable alternative, which is what we are all here for!
* Short-term: Active users won't delete their accounts because the benefit they get from Facebook outweighs their annoyance at the privacy issues. Long-term: Once a viable competitor comes, active users will change.
* Short-term: A handful of users (including me) deleted their accounts. Long-term: A lot of would-be users that would have signed up, won't.
* Short-term: Revised privacy controls ease the pain. Long-term: Permanent brand damage has happened. No longer can we believe in the sincerity of Facebook's "oops, we made a mistake" since it's becoming a pattern for them to ask forgiveness rather than permission. Remember Beacon? It will take years for the "we don't care about users" branding of Facebook to go away, if ever.