The Economist: Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook

There's an interesting article in The Economist (July 21, 2007) called "Face value, Book value: Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook is being touted as the new Steve Jobs, and his company as the next Google"

Here's the link:
http://www.economist.com/people/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9507260

Some thought-provoking parts of the article:
"Metaphorically, Mr Zuckerberg views himself as similar to the pioneering Renaissance mapmakers who amassed and combined snippets of information and then charted new lands and seas so that other people could use their maps to find, say, new trade routes. In Mr Zuckerberg's case, the map charts human relationships. Whereas many of the other social networks on the web primarily help people to make new contacts online—whether for hanky panky, marriage or business—Mr Zuckerberg is exclusively interested in 'mapping out' the “real and pre-existing connections” among people, he says." (The Economist, July 21, 2007)

"One academic researcher argues that Facebook is for 'good kids', whereas MySpace is for blue-collar kids, 'art fags', 'goths' and 'gangstas'. Facebook's roots are indeed preppie. Mr Zuckerberg took Latin, Greek and fencing at Phillips Exeter Academy and started Facebook at Harvard, after all. From there it spread to other elite universities, and it only opened up to the general population last September." (The Economist, July 21, 2007)


Thinking of the "business" side of it all:
"Mr Zuckerberg, however, thinks that the bigger difference is that Facebook is now becoming a 'platform'. By this he means that it is evolving into a technology on top of which others can build new software tools and businesses. In May Mr Zuckerberg opened Facebook up for outsiders to do just that, promising that any advertising revenues that third parties collect within Facebook are theirs to keep. Already, thousands of little tools have been created that allow Facebook users to share and discover music, play Sudoku, lend each other money, and so on. These toys can then spread through the social graph. If one user plays Sudoku, his friends see it and might try it too. These innovative uses of the social graph are, in Mr Zuckerberg's mind, the precise analogy to the trade routes that were found once the ancient mapmakers had done their part." (The Economist, July 21, 2007)

Any comments on what Mark Zuckerberg is up to, or use of facebook in general? Do you or your kids use facebook regularly? I do, my kids do. It's fascinating, watching the new tools sweep through the network.