I've used a saying for years to describe the rapid-fire publishing environment we live in: "file and forget". And it's true, as this Facebook-specific infographic points out, that we tend to move past the present and constantly look ahead toward the next big thing.
(Case in point: the . And we've already started looking ahead toward the .)
In some ways, this infographic, designed by SEO marketer WordStream, comes across as a bit harsh. Silicon Valley celebrates success, but it generally does not excoriate failures. Google exemplifies this, launching and Google Wave, then winding each down when they failed to take root in the market. Facebook has always struck me as a company that takes a similar approach.
The difference? Google rarely fails to execute in its core business, search and advertising. If Google does fail, it often does so in expanding away from search, rather than radically revamping it. ( was an exception, but was widely seen as an improvement.)
Facebook, which has remained focused on its social network and graph, fails more spectacularly, often irritating quite literally millions of people, which still make up a small percentage of its nearly 800 million users. But both companies have been taken to task on matters of privacy, because of the extensive reach of both companies. And, of course, some interpretations are subjective: many saw Facebook's recent upgrade and Ticker as positives.
Still, this infographic is an intriguing look back at what Facebook has tried and failed to achieve. If WordStream were truly interested in being objective (a chuck of the company's business comes from from SEO marketing around Google's AdWords ad platform) it might consider putting together a similar infographic highlighting Google's shortcomings, as well.
(Case in point: the . And we've already started looking ahead toward the .)
In some ways, this infographic, designed by SEO marketer WordStream, comes across as a bit harsh. Silicon Valley celebrates success, but it generally does not excoriate failures. Google exemplifies this, launching and Google Wave, then winding each down when they failed to take root in the market. Facebook has always struck me as a company that takes a similar approach.
The difference? Google rarely fails to execute in its core business, search and advertising. If Google does fail, it often does so in expanding away from search, rather than radically revamping it. ( was an exception, but was widely seen as an improvement.)
Facebook, which has remained focused on its social network and graph, fails more spectacularly, often irritating quite literally millions of people, which still make up a small percentage of its nearly 800 million users. But both companies have been taken to task on matters of privacy, because of the extensive reach of both companies. And, of course, some interpretations are subjective: many saw Facebook's recent upgrade and Ticker as positives.
Still, this infographic is an intriguing look back at what Facebook has tried and failed to achieve. If WordStream were truly interested in being objective (a chuck of the company's business comes from from SEO marketing around Google's AdWords ad platform) it might consider putting together a similar infographic highlighting Google's shortcomings, as well.
