I have never used Facebook for personal reasons although I do use Twitter.

You have nailed it: Facebook’s insisting on twitterify itself is what will ironically kill it. They think by making fb the outlet for everyone ‘s updates, will somehow make people check more often.

To the contrary, this is creating information overload and sooner or later, a burnout will result.

This is the inevitable fate of all social networks. Their success leads to their demise.

The eventual demise of Facebook ( just like Wal-Mart to small businesses) will be a great thing for other website owners who have lost so Many of their member, like list sheep, to Facebook.

Thank you.

As I am now officially old and in my 40′s, I’ve been working hard at not being a complete and total social marketing Luddite.

But knowing that I am what I am, we’ve hired some younger folks at our company who do Twitter and other new media related work for our clients. I still don’t fully “get it” (Twitter). Maybe I never will given the industries we serve.

I do like Linked in updates though…basically Twitter like but in a consolidated format that happens to also be our social networking home base for work.

Our team thinks Linkedin has proven to be invaluable in building our research community of interest and as a hugely positive and high ROI tool for us and our clients. I’ve mentioned this and other details in your blog before.

Facebook for me is about talking to my nieces, nephews, sisters and my old friends.

Would you believe that I found out via Linked in that my 14 year old son had a new girlfriend?! How’s that for a example of not only the power of Facebook, but also its potential for the undoing of our basic human connectedness? While it at once draws us closer together it also in some ways keeps us apart.

So much for face to face communications! This is a sign for me that maybe we’ve all become a bit too addicted to social media than we would like to admit — both in the workplace and at home.

There is still no substitute for a face-to-face breaking of bread (invite open by the way), a hand written thank you note, and simple phone calls.

Maybe you could tell some of your old reporter friends that… they (particularly the young ones) are getting more and more net/net, twittery and less and less relationship driven by the year.

This is almost as sad as me finding out about my kid’s new girlfiend on Facebook!

Regards,

Don