Great line.

I won’t reiterate her points, but suffice to say that I agree with her pretty much across the board. I recognize the myriad of Facebook fails over the past two years – my response has been to spread the word, respond when I can, and try to help my friends, family, and students with how to protect themselves and use the service responsibly. Facebook isn’t a benevolent public service organization – they’re trying to find ways to monetize their services. They’re a company, like any other. And as consumers, it’s critical that we find ways to have voices in the eventual (I believe) regulation of the service. (It’s important to remember that the drive for personalization and customization is a big part of the Facebook mess, too.)

I don’t think that Facebook is making us lazy. We’ve always been lazy. Who actually wants to do sales and marketing? Facebook has just become a way for us to activate our friend networks in a more comprehensive way, and that tends to make us feel like we’re doing more sales and marketing than we actually are. That’s our fault, not Facebook’s (or any other social media channel).

Facebook is simply one invaluable marketing channel for artists, organizations, and companies. People using it need to apply common sense and ethical principles that have guided effective word-of-mouth marketing since long before Facebook. The difference is that we need to apply those principles more vigorously, given that the channels we have to broadcast are now so swift (immediate) and have more reach (often, intrusive reach).

Like it or not, Facebook is innovating the social web. I often don’t like it, in fact. But I’m invested enough in the service and what it offers me – and I’m invested in the evolution of the social web – that I am happy to stay on board, and committed to improving the service, holding the company accountable, and helping others understand privacy issues.