Facebook and Social Startups Meme.

Why doesn’t it surprise me, or does it even surprise anyone around when Hitwise reports of Facebook being the largest platform for reading news? Now it might be following the likes of Google, Yahoo and even MSN at number four, the point why I would consider it even more important is the fact the top three are search engines and they direct traffic back to the source sites. Watch Facebook and it is a bit different.

How?

The social network has been working around its feeds, providing users a chance to read all content right there. More importantly as Nick points out, the average Internet user [and that number is in bulk] would easily recognize Facebook when it comes to reading feeds. Who really can relate to knowing what exactly is RSS? I bet the word has been around ever since the New Web Order came into existence, but people only know it to an extent that it is what brings news to their inbox, the functioning of which is not known [ah yes, who really needs to know the technicalities?]. But come to Facebook, everyone knows how it works around and what exactly are feeds at on the home page. RSS might be really simple syndication, but that really simple isn’t all that simple for the vast majority.

So What Exactly Is Facebook?

I call it the simple man’s platform for almost anything. News is just one aspect, although I personally feel flooded by the countless requests and notifications that are sent but that platform is improving eventually. I guess as Facebook continues to introduce better tools to filter content, give users the power to keep their notifications clean, the power and purpose of the platform would substantially improve. The issue primarily aren’t the functions on the social network platform, it is the fact that many users have little or no idea how to use them. For example many still don’t know how Grouping friends might help them or how to utilize the feed filters? And I am not talking about the gurus of Facebook or tech savvy friends out there, I am talking about the very basic user, who is simply using it to connect, confused as to how he/she can reduce the clutter and have a much better time on the social network.

To me Facebook has taken the cake away when it comes to sharing, connecting and spreading the word around. It is already far ahead in numbers and in direct challenge with Google and when you say it competes the likes of Google and Microsoft, you know its potential. It has become a primary source for many to read news and share it. What remains to be seen is the fact how it plays against the aggregators that exist on the Web. That’s the only thing left, I mean the businesses are already using it, so are charities and developers, even YouTube isn’t that far ahead of it when it comes to videos being shared and put on the platform. What else is left? Not much and the only thing that remains to be seen is how it continues to expand further and take away the last few chunks. Its strategy to bag in features what it can’t buy continues to make it more efficient and productive for all the users out their. To me it is a Platform of platforms, RSS: Really Simply Stated.