To be perfectly honest, I just don’t understand why lots of people see Facebook and social media in general as something bad for our industry. As mentioned on DomainingTips.com two days ago, Google’s response to Facebook’s “Like” button makes it clear that they don’t label social media as just some fad and in my opinion, neither should we as domainers.
The Internet = NOT a Zero Sum Game
People are spending more and more time on Facebook, this much is certain.
Does this mean that they’re spending less time on other websites? Nope! It simply means that they’re spending more time on the Internet and that’s great news for all of us who earn a living online. The more people make the Internet a part of their lives, the better.
Individuals have needs and the more they perceive the Internet as being a part of their life, the more likely they are to look for solutions online. Think about it for a moment.
Then vs. Now
Back in 1996 or 1997, people used the Internet for a limited number of things. If they wanted to buy a book, they went to their local bookstore. If they wanted to buy a computer, they did that offline as well.
Nowadays, more and more people buy all of these things online. The result? They spend more money online and I’m sure companies like Amazon and eBay are grateful to say the least. These companies have affiliate programs and that ultimately gives all of us more opportunities to monetize traffic.
Makes Sense?
The bottom line is that websites like Facebook are convincing people to spend more time online and that’s great. The Internet is still in its infancy and thanks to websites like Facebook, the average Internet user will start looking for more and more solutions online.
The result?
1) The user in question spends more and more money online -> Huge websites like Amazon and eBay make more money -> Their affiliates make more money
Who are their affiliates? In most cases, webmasters who represent potential domain buyers or even domainers who monetize some of their traffic via let’s say Amazon.
2) More and more brick and mortar businesses establish an online presence -> even more potential domain buyers
To those of you who see Facebook as a threat to domainers:
Do you honestly think that the average serious business will use a Facebook page as its main online presence? Or a Twitter account? Or a blogspot blog? If so, feel free to sell me your entire portfolio for pennies on the dollar, you know where to find me 🙂
April 2nd, 2011 at 5:39 am
Exactly. Sites like Facebook are making people aware that the Internet is essential to almost all their life needs.
April 2nd, 2011 at 2:14 pm
I agree.
I think just b/c folks spend more time on FB does not mean they are not on the other sites at the same time.
The way I see it is they are leaving their FB page open and doing other things while periodically checking in to see any new updates on FB. It does not mean they are doing less elsewhere. This is how my wife does it. I personally though would never have a FB page.
Also as people develop sales streams on FB they will want the domains as an add-on to their biz.
April 2nd, 2011 at 2:16 pm
I actually did buy a Gateway computer in April 1996 for $3,300 for their most basic model.
Damn it was expensive back then!
April 3rd, 2011 at 4:57 am
Facebook is good for any business with a website – it get’s you lots of traffic.
Domain names will increase in value – so hang on to your Internet Real Estate.
April 4th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
I would be inclined to agree with you, but the comments attributed to the commercial director of Facebook’s U.K. operation provide justification for domain investors to be concerned. You can read my response in an open letter directed to Facebook and it’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg:
http://openlettertofacebook.com
April 5th, 2011 at 8:34 am
I just ran across this very interesting blog post about Facebook and the way it conducts business:
http://www.geekwire.com/2011/zapd-day-2-we-built-facebook-pulled-drawbridge
So, Facebook has been in prime time now for only a few years. Imagine how “grateful” we will all be in another four or five years when its membership ranks swell past the one BILLION mark and it really starts to feel its power and exert influence over the Internet in ways that we can’t even begin to imagine right now. Grateful indeed!
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