Friday
May212010
Facebook: Top In Display Advertising Impressions, But Are Users Staying Put?
Friday, May 21, 2010 at 06:52AM
Last week was when Facebook took over Yahoo's position on top of online display advertising. More impressions (banner displays) are shown at FB than Yahoo - but are the 400 million-plus users clicking those ads going to be there tomorrow?
Recent privacy concerns at the social networking giant have made some industry waves. New questions are being asked about what effect Facebook's handling of user privacy will have on all its businesses, including online display advertising. Can the new number one hold on to its huge user base?
A study released today from security firm Sophos might have an answer. Bottom line: 60% of Facebook users polled were considering leaving FB.
Right away, I want to say that it's important to consider the inherent bias in any study: a security firm asking Facebook users about "privacy concerns" could trigger literally anything negative in the mind of the respondent. So I don't take the news to mean that users are streaming for the exits. Also, this news doesn't change the online display advertising reality: FB delivers a huge number of very, very targeted impressions. This would be true even if, say, 2/3 of their users left. It's a targeting smorgasbord over there.
But it does put a small wrinkle on the face of the new number one. Privacy expectations at FB are higher than for regular websites because of the control that is extended to users, which is probably behind the negative sentiment.
In the end, none of this means to avoid FB in your media plans. No way. They deliver a great - no, awesome - service to advertisers. It just means to watch what happens, because change comes fast in our industry.
Recent privacy concerns at the social networking giant have made some industry waves. New questions are being asked about what effect Facebook's handling of user privacy will have on all its businesses, including online display advertising. Can the new number one hold on to its huge user base?
A study released today from security firm Sophos might have an answer. Bottom line: 60% of Facebook users polled were considering leaving FB.
Due to prevailing privacy concerns, several Facebook members are thinking to quit the popular social networking site -- at least 60% of them -- according to a latest survey conducted by IT security firm, Sophos.
In a poll of 1,588 Facebook users, it revealed that the extent of member concerns is over the network's privacy settings. The online survey showed that almost two thirds of Facebook users are considering leaving, with 16% claiming to have already stopped using Facebook as a result of inadequate control over their data. [...]
Sophos said concerns have centered on the complexity and the "opt-out" approach to sharing member information with wider networks. Media reports suggest that Facebook is planning to announce changes to its privacy settings within the next few days, but it is unclear as to whether any changes will be substantial enough to address user concerns.
Right away, I want to say that it's important to consider the inherent bias in any study: a security firm asking Facebook users about "privacy concerns" could trigger literally anything negative in the mind of the respondent. So I don't take the news to mean that users are streaming for the exits. Also, this news doesn't change the online display advertising reality: FB delivers a huge number of very, very targeted impressions. This would be true even if, say, 2/3 of their users left. It's a targeting smorgasbord over there.
But it does put a small wrinkle on the face of the new number one. Privacy expectations at FB are higher than for regular websites because of the control that is extended to users, which is probably behind the negative sentiment.
In the end, none of this means to avoid FB in your media plans. No way. They deliver a great - no, awesome - service to advertisers. It just means to watch what happens, because change comes fast in our industry.
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