the facebook effect (part 2) (p107-214)

As the book continues, the idea of being intriguing fades pretty fast for me with every page. I really don't care about Zuckerberg, but once it started talking about how he got into the start of the actual business as an entity, it got a little more readable. It was kind of interesting to read the development of a website created by a Harvard nerd and how he turned it into a bazillion (est.) dollar company. Within chapters 5-11, I felt the story  getting a little bit more intimate wit facebook users from other people's perspectives.

However, I did enjoy seeing the "now" pieces of Facebook falling in place throughout the book like in Chapter 9. Zuckerberg discusses the news feed and its impact in the 2006 chapter. "It's not a new feature, it's a major product revolution." (p. 182). Also, the fact that Zuckerberg really didn't want to sell the company unless he heard a bid for 1 billion dollars was really interesting and something to think about. He had, in his own mind, already figured this site would generate an enormous amount of attention and revenue. To pick 1 billion dollars as a starting bid for considering to sell the site was extremely smart on his part. He knew the potential this site had, and today we can see the impact it has over many of our lives.

Ben Parr, who launched "Students Against Facebook news feed" had a great quote which I would say sums up what most of Facebook users think. "We are more comfortable sharing our lives and thoughts instantly to thousands of people, close friends and strangers alike. The development of new technology and the rocking of the boat by Zuckerberg has led to this change.... News Feed truly launched a revolution that requires us to stand back to appreciate. Privacy has not disappeared, but become even easier to control - what I want to share, I can share with everyone. What I want to keep private stays in my head."(p. 214).

I went from not liking this book very much to becoming a little bit more interested in it because of the perspectives of others outside of the company. Hopefully, the last section is worthwhile.