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I was once a Facebook fool

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Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#51

Post by nirvana »

TomOfTTB wrote: post #34

I’m not saying the author is wrong here but I think he’s unfair in attacking just Facebook. The one thing I learned from my time in the valley is that EVERYONE is looking out for themselves. That isn’t meant as negatively as it sounds. People go there to prove themselves. Either by making money or making their mark on the world (which is why people like Sean Parker stick around even after they’ve made money). But wha…

You can look out for yourself without lying, cheating, or backstabbing others. You can operate as a moral, ethical person, and not have to mislead people, or break your promises.

Looking out for yourself is not the problem, dishonesty is.

This becomes a bigger problem when dishonesty becomes part of the culture.

Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#52

Post by maratd »

This is not endemic to Facebook. It applies to any platform. Apple, eBay, Amazon, etc.

When you build a business on their platform, you don't have a business. You have a product on their platform and it is their product. They are simply taking a hands-off approach and reaping the benefits. They can shut you down at any time and they will, when it suits their interests.

That is the key here. That conflict of interest. Most of the time, it isn't an issue ... but when it comes to the surface, you will be thrown under the bus.

Also, the customers you think you have ... they're not your customers. If you went to a different platform, those customers would not come along. The customers, they are their customers, not yours.

Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#53

Post by gavanwoolery »

I definitely sympathize with the story - that just flat out sucks... but... Making a "feature" product is always a bad idea, IMHO, for reasons even beyond the ones the author points out. You should never build a feature for a product, if history is not a lesson on its own - very few of them make a successful exit. At any point, the company might decide they can do it better than you or it would be cheaper to build the feature than acquire you - or, most importantly, your hacks and external servers might not mesh well with their vision of an integrated platform.

Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#55

Post by zipdog »

elliottcarlson wrote: post #7

"If you are entrusting your life data to Facebook, or if you are depending on Facebook and its platform for your livelihood, beware." I think you should always be careful when you are entrusting any third party with your livelihood. You can only plan so much, but when your business plan requires that one crucial system and you have no way to even have a contingency plan, then you have to realize that it could easily…

This is one of the difficulties of Just In Time manufacturing

Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#56

Post by gaius »

witten wrote: post #44
TomOfTTB wrote: post #34

I’m not saying the author is wrong here but I think he’s unfair in attacking just Facebook. The one thing I learned from my time in the valley is that EVERYONE is looking out for themselves. That isn’t meant as negatively as it sounds. People go there to prove themselves. Either by making money or making their mark on the world (which is why people like Sean Parker stick around even after they’ve made money). But wha…

All the more reason not to be a sharecropper and build your application on an open platform. If you know you're working in an environment in which everyone is looking out solely for their own interests, you might as well start out on even footing rather than with a Facebook or Microsoft holding the keys to your project's success.

What open platform? Diaspora is a joke at this point.

Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#59

Post by eavc »

randomdata wrote: post #50
raganwald wrote: post #39

Sharecropper woes: http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/12/WebsThePla... http://raganwald.posterous.com/the-freedom-to-eat-pizza http://weblog.raganwald.com/2004/11/sharecropping-in-orchard...

Sharecropping is kind of a weird analogy to use here. In farming, sharecropping is the low risk way to grow your business. It is the landlord that takes on much of the burden if the crop fails. But with small risk comes small reward. In technology, "sharecropping" is the high risk venture. The landlord here assumes no risk at all if your application fails. The burden falls squarely on you. However, with the high risk…

I disagree; I think the analogy is apt.

You lack the resource to grow your business, so you borrow someone else's and operate at their whim.

Contracts aside, the sharecropper's entire livelihood could be undermined on the whim of the landowner. Someone else has power over your ability to produce.

Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#60

Post by tsunamifury »

maratd wrote: post #52

This is not endemic to Facebook. It applies to any platform. Apple, eBay, Amazon, etc. When you build a business on their platform, you don't have a business. You have a product on their platform and it is their product. They are simply taking a hands-off approach and reaping the benefits. They can shut you down at any time and they will, when it suits their interests. That is the key here. That conflict of interest.…

If you were big enough to be a threat, then you have a pretty good problem on your hands. Yes your platform host might throw you under the bus, but I'm betting you could turn it around.
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