Facebook. Just another rss aggregator?

The bulk of activity I now see on my facebook newsfeed is gathered from other sources. In other words facebook is acting as an aggregator of stuff going on elsewhere. A bit like any other rss aggregator then?

Twitter updates bounced into facebook lead the way, followed by notes, imported from friends blogs (in both cases we're being treated to a one-way narrowcast - unless we make the effort to follow the link... actually come to think of it, we can comment on an imported note - but few 'in-the-know' would bother, since it's kind of a ghost version of the original - and you have to kind of figure the real conversation is going on back at the base! So facebook is the ersatz conversation!?).

Yes, of course many people update their status with a pure and simple filling in of the box (I know I do - and via mobile a lot... and in both cases that gets narrowcasted out to my minute band of twitter followers...)

In between there's a little bit of 'X has sent Y a gift' - yeah the real need-to-know stuff, invites to be a zombie or take part in a My Little Pony quiz.

I won't deny there is some valuable stuff. Some potentially very valuable stuff.
X has just joined Y group. I like those bits. That's the non-directed self-forming group bits, the bits where people can organise around a purpose and make things happen. Not a lot of this though.

And I begin to wonder if there's enough of the valuable stuff full stop. I wonder if there's enough of it to sustain the closed world of facebook in a disaggregating, widgetised world.

I'll tell you what I don't see much of. X is a fan of Y product or X has just bought Y product.

UPDATE Jan 16 2008: See comments below for more on this. I like what spokeo and latterly yahoo are aiming for: newsfeed from all your friends from all sources - but in an open way - treating the web as your newsfeed. When open takes on closed I know which I'll always place my money on! Read more from Harrison (aka twhman) at spokeo here.

United we stand: THIS is Fansumers

Fansumers - another take on 'prosumers'. It's a term used by Jeremiah Owyang when writing about the new Facebook Pages - easy tech which allow brands to interact with their communities within Facebook's easy-to-use walled garden. Great value for those brands willing to actively engage in the conversation - as I discussed in this post.

It's an idea you'll also be familiar with if you've come across the likes of freakonomics or if you've considered Alan Moore's engagement marketing.

However it's a pretty light-weight version compared to this.

When MyFootballClub.co.uk got rolling I loved the idea. Now it's become a reality - a community of football fans is taking charge of the thing they are fanatical about. They have bought their own real life club - and now they get to take control. Fantasy football made real.

It's a really clear example of the edge taking charge - the community dominating to such an extent that they take ownership of the brand.

And in so much as that is true, then the notion of Fansumer as described by a 'fans' relationship with a brand's Facebook Page, really doesn't reflect the power of the converged individual we see in MyFootballClub.co.uk.

Here the members of the community aren't simply fans, or just consumers. They are also the decision makers, they are co-creating the value, they are the innovators - in everything from team selection to the quality of the half-time hot dogs.

I wish them luck and will watch the outcome with interest.

It's war: Brand vs Fans. Hmm, I wonder who'll win?

It seems the lessons of mash-up culture are still not being learnt. The desire to control can be crushing. But there always comes a point when the pips squeak. And in a networked world the squeeks are loud, long and globally shared.

How long is it going to be before this film starts to circulate through non-official and entirely out-of-THEIR-control channels? (first one to spot clips on youtube et al, please comment below!)

The row over Damantus, a movie made by German fans of The Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000, centres on German copyright law and who gets to own IP. Read the BBC report. It looks like "it'll never be shown in front of an audience". Maybe not. A community? quite possibly!

If this dispute couldn't be resolved by those 'in charge' I'm willing to place a hefty bet on 'leaks' taking control from them.

And while I'm happy that'll happen, I'm depressed that those who are doing all in their power to prevent that from happening will actually benefit from it.

The Games Workshop and the Warhammer 40,000 brands can only benefit from the exposure and engagement with the brands that this co-created film represents. Watch this.

Hey, come to think of it, maybe this is just a deep-cover viral scam...

By the way, google are thinking of banning my blog. Honest!