Facebook & AZB Question

[Fatboy]

I know Shane has been using FB for a long time and for him as a pro or anyone really its great to interact with fans/friends etc.

so here is my question--almost.

I havent been on AZB much recently I will be more for a while, so I might have missed a few things, therefore my ???

Is AZB losing some conversation or traffic to FB??, I recall hearing that SVB posted Chads passing (RIP buddy) on FB first. I'm still very sad, I dont want to get off track here. Sorry its just a very hard thing for me to lose friends. Too many this past year.


I have never once been on FB and never ever will have a FB page, I flat refuse to have a FB page, i'm not interested in all that FB has to offer.I like message boards, so the WIDER question is is FB taking away action from all message boards in general???. I just wondered what if anything am i missing??


Sorry to not stay on topic, but I did my best.

best
eric:frown:

 

[Kobachi]

I say, nah.

Things will work their course, as they always do, I'm not a fan of FB either.

I have a friend here in Chicago who's a transplant from south Dakota. I asked/told him about his passing. He knew him and wasn't aware about the unfortunate news. But now he knows, due to me hearing about it here. So this forum does work, for this instance anyways.

Kevin

Ps, I'm sorry bout his passing, I didn't know him, but such huge support ive read, and my buddy here said he's looking forward to having a couple beers w me to tell me some rich stories about Big Nasty. My condolences to all.

 

[joelpope]

Half a billion users...

FB has a slightly larger reach than AZB but not as narrow of focus of interest

 

[Eagles89]

face book

FB has a slightly larger reach than AZB but not as narrow of focus of interest

i dont use face book dont like it.but like az billiards.face book they change
to much to many ads and now they use the people on face book.so i dont know why anybody would want to have a facebook account.

 

[Quesports]

I think Facebook will be like the pet rock... Here for a while and then gone. I often wondered do people really think they have 642 friends?? On top of that I really don't want anything to do with most of the idiots from my hometown anyway, that was the reason I left in the first place!! Anyway I don't think AZ has much to worry about as far as Facebook goes.. JMO!!!!!!!

 

[mia]

I think Facebook will be like the pet rock... Here for a while and then gone. I often wondered do people really think they have 642 friends?? On top of that I really don't want anything to do with most of the idiots from my hometown anyway, that was the reason I left in the first place!! Anyway I don't think AZ has much to worry about as far as Facebook goes.. JMO!!!!!!!

Facebook's biggest mistake yet was changing from a privately owned entity to a publicly traded corporation. Once the general public has a vested interest in the company, they expect certain financial returns on their investment. So whether Mark Zuckerberg just wants to "make something cool" (his words) or not, none of that matters anymore. He may be the CEO and the principle share holder, but ultimately, he has to answer to millions of investors now. So Facebook may not be in it for the long haul but make no mistake, its not going away anytime soon. Look at Myspace. Still kickin'. It may have been hit hard and drastically changed its shape to some degree, but its still there. The reason Facebook will always be around in some aspect is because it did something extremely significant in a way most (if not no) other company has been able to do yet. It focused on connecting people. 20 years ago, we reached out to others via phone and letter and email. Now, you can reach all of your friends (or just one if you like) in an instant. And with 800-900 million users, the reality is... that's 1/9th of the world's population. LOTS of people are there under one 'roof'.

I would guess the reason Shane would post something like that on Facebook BEFORE mentioning anything of it on AZ is because, Facebook is a more personal place to interact. AZ is a place with a ton of people with a similar interest that unites them... pool. And there may be friends amongst the group of 30k+ users. But the vast majority are strangers and just guys and girls who like pool. On Facebook, Shane has the ability to 'weed out' the people that aren't just faces in the crowd. He can talk about the passing of a friend directly with a group of other friends. In a way, its a more personal interaction. Its like posting something on a bulletin board in a supermarket (AZ) compared to posting it to the front door of every one of your friend's houses (Facebook).

Long story short (that was in NO WAY short, lol)... Facebook and AZ are two different entities. But ultimately, I don't see one replacing the other. AZ will stay around as long as Mike and crew are around to keep it up and running. Facebook will stick around for a long time too. It may change its shape after something new comes along to replace it but... it'll still be around. Neither site has to worry about the other stealing traffic though.

 

[predator]

Social networks are very inconvenient when it comes to discussions about very specific topics, be it pool or something else. I know you can create groups etc, but nothing beats a classic forum.
Message boards such as AZB and even news groups will continue to live a long time don't worry about it.

 

[sfleinen]

Mia, that was a great reply! A couple "distilled" points I'd like to add:

1. AZB is a *focused-topic discussion board*. Facebook is not. Rather, Facebook is the standard template social networking site. There is a big difference between a focused-topic discussion board and a social networking site. Not many people are "getting" this -- especially those that think Facebook is somehow "eating AZB's lunch."

2. Posting one's "feelings at the moment" are more appropriately "posted" on a social networking site. Not on a focused-topic discussion board. That's probably why Shane chose to post his feelings about losing his close friend (Chad) on Facebook, and not here on AZB. You don't see very many people posting "I'm feeling like such-and-such today" on AZB. Well, not if you don't want the "discussion" that ensues, anyway.

3. You don't post pool questions or intelligent thoughts about pool on Facebook (not if you don't want your average Joe/Jane Doe replying with whacked responses). You do post them here, on AZB, though.

4. Some pros -- like Shane -- have gotten tired of the "beating up" that goes on here at AZB. So for general "here's what I'm doing or thinking today" type of stuff, Shane opts for Facebook, because it's trouble-free in this regard.

5. Your identity on Facebook tends to be more personal. Your presence on Facebook tends to be more personal -- that is, your wall is "your wall." Here on AZB, one is just another voice amongst the many. You have no wall, or dedicated place to post stuff that is largely personal or intended to share with friends. You have to create a thread (or post to an existing thread) if you want to be "heard" -- and then again, *everyone* (not just a targeted audience of friends) "hears" you and can respond.

It's an interesting comparison, but one where the differences are clear if you really think about them.

-Sean

 

[OneIron]

I use and like both. They serve very different purposes. I use FB to connect with friends and family. Many of my childhood friends who now live hundreds or thousands of miles from each other now talk on a regular basis.

AZB is much more focused and less personal. But that's also a strength. I doubt that many of my FB friends would have any interest in what we discuss on AZB.

For those that refuse to use FB, I think you may be missing something. Give it a try. You can always deactivate your account if it doesn't work for you.

 

[budonahog]

I use and like both. They serve very different purposes. I use FB to connect with friends and family. Many of my childhood friends who now live hundreds or thousands of miles from each other now talk on a regular basis.

AZB is much more focused and less personal. But that's also a strength. I doubt that many of my FB friends would have any interest in what we discuss on AZB.

For those that refuse to use FB, I think you may be missing something. Give it a try. You can always deactivate your account if it doesn't work for you.

I agree 100%. I also use both and think they both serve different a purpose. I have contacted family members that I had no clue where they were at but found them on FB.

FB is also a great marketing tool. I have a friend that needed a mason for a project he was working on as a benefit. Within 2 hours of posting on FB, he had 3 contacts willing to do what needed to be done at zero cost.

I think a lot of pros use FB because they can kind of police the response that they don't want on there.( Such as Charlie Williams erasing my response to his comment about AZ users).

Having said all that, I spend more time here on AZ than on FB. The majority of my friends on FB do not have the same passion for the sport that we do here on AZ.:grin:

 

[vagabond]

I know Shane has been using FB for a long time and for him as a pro or anyone really its great to interact with fans/friends etc.

so here is my question--almost.

I havent been on AZB much recently I will be more for a while, so I might have missed a few things, therefore my ???

Is AZB losing some conversation or traffic to FB??, I recall hearing that SVB posted Chads passing (RIP buddy) on FB first. I'm still very sad, I dont want to get off track here. Sorry its just a very hard thing for me to lose friends. Too many this past year.


I have never once been on FB and never ever will have a FB page, I flat refuse to have a FB page, i'm not interested in all that FB has to offer.I like message boards, so the WIDER question is is FB taking away action from all message boards in general???. I just wondered what if anything am i missing??


Sorry to not stay on topic, but I did my best.

best
eric:frown:

It is a very good question.
I did not think You digressed from the topic.
Answer to your question : "yes" and 'No". On facebook,pros are sharing their personal lives including their likes and dislikes, other hobbies ,their travel schedules etc. you don`t see posts on aiming/shaft size etc on facebook. Facebook has been providing good venue for the pro players to be themselves without being attacked/insulted by INTERNET POOL PLAYERS ( a term coined by Bobby Lee, a pro player from Hongkong) Pros will not come to pool forums and say what they have been saying on Facebook.
However, Facebook will never replace AZ Billiards forums. Each has it`s own place on Planet Earth.