I will not rant. I will not rant. I will not rant. Alright, well, maybe a little. You see we are entering the time of year when people are supposed to calm down a bit and think about bigger things than what we do for work. Things are supposed to slow down, even just a bit, for everyone to catch their breath and get ready for the next sprint that will begin on the first workday of 2012.
Not the Internet and social media marketing industry, though. In fact, the space continues to stay on hyper drive for 24/7/365 and guess what is happening? The wheels are getting a bit wobbly, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they fell off to some degree or another in the new year. In fact, I kinda hope they do.
It’s an old song that I have sung for a while now, but it seems to have no impact. Why just this past weekend , if you took the time (and I really wish I hadn’t) to follow what was “news” in the industry, you would’ve been privy to the Facebook purchasing Gowalla “saga.” I use quotes on the word saga because it wasn’t around long enough to qualify as a saga but it sure felt like forever.
People were posting about how a deal had been made, then others would post about how maybe it wasn’t a deal. Then others would post about how the deal could be a deal if it were really a deal that was happening in some kind of big deal way. In other words, it was an incredible cacophony of nothing but industry noise and hot air. From All Things Digital to you name it, there were scoops on this “story” that, in the end, couldn’t be more of a non-story except for those that will cash out because Facebook bought their company (or investment depending on your relationship to the deal).
In the end, the rumors were made official. Gowalla was indeed bought by Facebook. As for all the pundits who had it figured out as to the who, what, where, when, and why of the deal? They were greeted with the news that the service was going away and that it looks like Facebook did their usual and simply bought some of the 1,000 or so new hires they promise for next year.
So how does this all impact us as Internet marketers? None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Sure, you can waste a bunch of time and cycles trying to prognosticate as to what these new location-based employees will be up to. It’s safe to say that they will at least be playing above the level of Facebook’s first foray into location-based services which was an unequivocal dud.
But honestly, who cares? Other than those who are counting their winnings from the Facebook lottery, this rumor turned reality is a non-issue in the near term, and could very well be so in the long term. Why? Because one gets the sense that Facebook flies by the seat of their pants on many occasions and it looks like their pants are attached to something mobile at the moment.
If their current mobile apps are any indication, they are simply banking on the fact that there are 800 million users of Facebook and many have mobile devices. They will use the mobile version of the site no matter how horrible it is (which it really is).
So, stepping back from all the hoopla of this little Facebook purchase, there is nothing to see here. Especially in the present. Maybe the brains that were purchased will come up with something for Facebook in the future but that’s just more speculation and rumor mongering.
Let’s face it, much of this industry is just that. Imagine the impact YOU could have if you ignored the pundits and the prognosticators and just got really good at your craft? Imagine what might happen in your job if you truly committed yourself to the here and now of the Internet space, instead of looking off into the future like the rest of these people? You would be a freakin’ rock star. Why? Because everyone is so focused on the next rumor and what might be next that there are few who actually know what to do RIGHT NOW to take advantage of the online space.
So what are you? A performer or a rumor mongerer? I know which one I would like to play with, that’s for sure.
