Have you checked out Facebook today? If not there is a message from them inviting users to review governing documents and asking them to vote on whether they approve.
We’ve revised the two new documents we proposed to govern the site, the Facebook Principles and the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, based on your feedback. Now, we want you to vote for the system of governance you think is best. Voting will close on April 23 at 11:59am PDT. Visit the Facebook Site Governance application to learn more, read the documents, and vote.
Facebook, in essence, has turned its 200 million world wide users into a governing body. After the debacle over the Terms of Service I can appreciate its desire to engage users, but there’s a substantial difference between soliciting feedback and allowing users to control how you do business.
As I’ve noted here before, Facebook has some business challenges on the horizon. And I don’t think they’re challenges you want 200 million people deciding.
FB is destined to fail if this is the approach it is taking after some public “outrage” over over its terms of service. Its weakness in allowing its customers to dictate corporate policy is the equivalent of its customers/users weakness in allowing a corporation to convince them that detaching oneself from reality to communicate and be “friends” with many people who aren’t even friends via its product is really a great way to stay make, gain or recapture a genuine friendship. I know that isn’t the sole purpose of FB, but for many unenlightened individuals amongst the 200 million, it is a way of life that is as disturbing as a for-profit corporation allowing its customers to dictate corporate policy.
[...] between soliciting Arkansas photos for his new blog feature and contemplating Facebook, showed us column from Paul Greenberg, and we liked [...]