A Slap in the Facebook.

Ah, back in the day, corporations ruled their own destiny and customers took what they got sold…was that ever really true? Well, I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s, and it sure felt to me like I had choices. Large consumer businesses and political structures alike seemed to bend and buckle with market pressures. In later decades, the voice of the consumer became even louder and more desirable in marketing programs, even if companies never really developed an effective process for responding to the very voice they encouraged.

And yet, some of our newest enterprises and internet services seem ignorant of the force of markets. Take Facebook. Like all good online sites, it has lengthy “Terms of Service.” Just last week, it changed these terms, as so many enterprises will from time to time. Only, Facebook’s change included a notation that they would own the content of Facebook pages (essentially small personal Web sites) and be able to do anything with that material they wanted forever, even if you had terminated your membership (which is free).

The Consumerist ratted them out this week. The user world rebelled. The Electronic Privacy Information Center threatened to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Users formed Facebook groups to oppose the changes. Facebook backed down.

Let’s acknowledge what users were already getting free from Facebook: a social networking site with many useful features by which they could expose their personal lives, connect with people they know, get to know new people and discuss and opine on subjects from the sublime to the ridiculous. Let’s admit the lack of wisdom of the Facebook management attempting to clarify their terms without asking for the valuable input of the voice of the user.

A decade ago, The Cluetrain Manifesto prophesied this turn of events, when it set forth its 95 theses. Facebook, the community of users with an open intranet by which to have conversations with one another, decided that the new terms were unacceptable, and Facebook the enterprise itself had already provided the mechanism for an uprising. To preserve itself, Facebook had to both allow and respond to the conversation.

I don’t see how any other reaction could have been possible. I don’t see how Facebook management could have thought any other eventuality would proceed from the change…unless they had not read one of the best selling books of 2000. I’ll bet the Palo Alto Public Library has a couple of copies they can check out. I recommend it.