Could Facebook cash in on classifieds?
Posted by
Martin Stabe
on 26 April 2007 at 08:12
Tags: Bebo, MySpace
Although MySpace New isn’t making the best use of the mountain of social networking data that it is sitting on, one social networking does appear to be leveraging its vast user base to encroach on newspapers’ traditional businesses.
Facebook, which gained a lot of attention this week because of its role in the discussions of the Virginia Tech massacre, is rumoured to be launching a local classified advertising service.
Mashable reported this week that some users of the service had received a questionnaire about such a service.
Classified advertising is an obvious step for the social networking site, which clusters its users in geographically defined groups. Also, because it centers on networks of real-world acquaintances, it should have little trouble building up trust between potential buyers and sellers. Wouldn’t you rather buy a second-hand bicycle from a friend of a friend than a complete stranger?
Facebook still trails MySpace and Bebo as Britain’s third-largest social networking site, according to Hitwise data released this month, but has been growing rapidly since opening up registration beyond its original university student base. Hitwise now ranks Facebook at Britain’s 20th most visited website.
