The Facebook Effect (p. 214-333)

Finally, this book and semester are coming to a close. I thought the pictures in this book added something that's usually missing from books when they talk about certain figures in history, no matter how recent the history may be. Seeing all the faces behind thefacebook was refreshing and cool. And the ensuing chapter really gives some visuals inside Zuckerberg's mind about how he wanted facebook to turn out. Though some of the facts that Sean Parker brings up may not be accurate in terms of how Zuckerberg saw Facebook.

"What he meant was that he wanted his nascent service to be a place where others could deploy software, much as Microsoft's Windows or the Apple Macintosh were platforms for applications created by others." (p.215)

The way the book lays out how Facebook would generate money through advertisements was very interesting to read. It showed that although this site was to help connect almost everyone together, this could not be done without generating money. Who else but Google to help bring in the revenue through ads on Facebook which Zuckerberg only accepted to finance his plan to keep his Facebook empire. Before I read this book, I figured Zuckerberg was in it for the cash by any means.

"While Zuckerberg had been forced by circumstances to accept advertising, he did so only so he could pay the bills. Whenever anyone asked about his priorities, he was unequivocal - growth and continued improvement in the customer experience were more important than monetization." (p. 258)

After finishing up the book, I still wasn't very impressed but I do think it surpassed my expectations after reading the first section of the book. I was really looking for some type of psychological analysis into the minds of real Facebook users and not just the brains behind the operation. Getting an inside look into the decisions that were made and the obstacles Zuckerberg had to overcome were humbling, but I really didn't care for a whole book on it, which in my opinion, thought that what it was if I had to summarize it in a sentence.

I'd give this book a 3.8/5.0. Also, I'm glad this was the last book we had to read to close out the semester. I just wish the book reflected the user way more. It was still an interesting read overall.