This time the changes seem to be in direct response to Google+ (which is growing at a VASTLY accelerated pace).
The company I work for has been looking at Facebook as a way to reach people and distribute services but the first thing you notice when you look into it is that nobody actually likes Facebook.
The only consistent reason anybody seems to give about why they use Facebook is that everyone else is using it - I've seen this before - the chat wars between AOL and MSN messenger.
What it comes down to is that people are getting more connected - having more than one social account is not going to kill anyone especially with ease of use we see today (iphone apps, browser plugins, etc) I regularly work with several different IM and chat windows open at once purely because I have so many people to communicate with daily.
So whats going to stop people from having more than one social account?
Especially when there are tools that can help aggregate them for heavy users?
Nothing.
Nothing is going to stop people from have having Facebook and Google+ accounts at the same time - This war is not going to be won by new features, or money, or even market share. Victory is going to go to the service where the "alpha users" go.
You know "alpha users" those are the people with so many friends you feel like you have to like them, they respond to your posts, they comment on your wall, they always seem to be at the heart of any discussion online.
Yup, that guy.
If enough of your friends switch, you'll follow to stay in touch with your friends, after all thats what social networks are for right? Well guys with hundreds (or even thousands) of friends may only have a small impact in each friend, but they impact a lot of people.
It adds up.
Want to know when to hop ship to the next big thing? want to know if Google+ is going to take off? watch your friends list, keep and eye on those people with more contacts than god and when they start to cross to the other side you'll know whats coming...
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