(Comments on) What the Facebook is Going On Here?

Hilarious article on Facebook by Peter Madden over at AdAge (subscription may be required.)

"What the Facebook is Going on Here? - AdAge.com"

Is there really a fan page for Lysol?

Mostly, I'm surprised by the "Peter, you just don't get it" comments in the subsequent thread. I think Peter gets it perfectly.

Yes, Facebook has proven to be a mobilizing force for good causes. And, holy cow, consumers are out there providing all sorts of information about themselves that may *someday* be useful for marketing purposes. (As an aside, I find the current advertising on Facebook amusing. I am listed as having an MBA degree, yet one-third of the advertising presented to me seems predicated on the notion that I might want to get a second one... I click on them to ensure that stupidity is penalized. Another ad that appears incessantly is an invitation to buy a Spinal Tap-themed tee shirt since that is listed among my favorite movies. Note to 6dollarshirts.com: Thanks, but I have plenty of tee shirts already.)

Facebook, like any form of social interaction, faces the risk that the overall tone of the conversation is dominated by the lowest form of discourse. A steady news feed from your 600 closest "friends" is pretty random and (I imagine) quickly becomes tiresome. An endless stream of requests to join various noble causes is about as welcome as a telephone solicitor at dinner-time. And a conversation consisting of "Peter is getting on a plane in Las Vegas... Brittany is having french toast for breakfast... Gary has the sniffles" is a bore in ANY medium.

We need a neologism for this latter phenomenon. I submit "blackberrhea" but I'm sure the creatives who read AdAge can do better.