I’d call PC Magazine Editor in Chief Lance Ulanoff’s article about Facebook (reprinted here by Fox News) a hit job, except that it is so utterly devoid of logic and actual analysis that it really can’t be classified as anything other than a sad commentary on the state of technology reporting in mainstream media.
His argument is that some Facebook users want to leave the service, and that this is similar to AOL subscribers wanting to leave the service in the late nineties. AOL has lost subscribers, so Facebook is certain to run into trouble, too.
Seriously, that’s his argument.
WTF.
See Mathew Ingram for more. I just can’t be bothered to spend any more time on this.
If Facebook was doing this for all the right reasons (and I believe they are) they are simply making it a better company to do interact with. I commend them for enhancing their customer experience.
Way to go Lance ‘Chicken Little’ Ulanoff. The news wire must be slow this week.
Cack article devoid of logic as you say, coupled with a predictably moronic and ignorant rehash from Faux news, all amounts to more ammunition for us new media revolutionists.
why are you posting this on crunchnotes and not techcrunch?
I’m confused by your standards which posts go where?
I think it’s this fellow in general. Note my post on 1/21/08 referencing a nolder article:
http://everybuddy.org/2008/01/21/lance-ulanoff-is-a-fool/
Funny, It may suffer a similar fate as AOL as the tendency on the web seems toward more and more open platforms, but not for his reasoning.
I’m sorry to disagree. His argument isn’t, that “AOL has lost subscribers, so Facebook is certain to run into trouble, too.”.
He clearly says: “Facebook is different from AOL in many ways, but it’s also the same in that its success depends on eyeballs.”
He elaborates, that FB has some issues like Beacon, privacy, some annoying features, blowing up numbers. And he assumes, that therefore simplifying the process of unsubscring would increase the number if people leaving.
I think, he is not too wrong. So what’s the point?
Fox news – impartial my arse (ass). I bet they wouldn’t have posted that if it were about myspace – who’s issues are evidently similar:
http://tinyurl.com/342v9m
So I guess Lance won’t be investing his $2500 writers fee in Lee Lorenzen’s facebook ‘eco-system fund’, LOL:
http://tinyurl.com/2lru8f
wooooooooooooow