Do Facebook Friends Count?

I love Seth. Seth Godin that is.

He says smart things in simple ways.

His books and writings are simple translations of what's happening out there in web land and what it all means for your marketing efforts. Our third issue of Book Rapper "Marketing Now-How" is a marketing plan derived from Seth's book Meatball Sundae.

Lately, I've been asked a number of times, "Do Facebook Friends matter?"
I usually give one of three answers...

1. Barack Obama has a couple of million friends on Facebook and he got to be President. Whilst these people didn't necessarily vote for him, it showed that social networking counts for something.
2. The meaning of the word 'phoney' comes from the first telephone calls made over 100 years ago. They weren't considered real conversations because you weren't there face-to-face talking to a real person - the conversation was 'phoney'! Now we are used to phone calls, they count as 'real' conversations. Facebook friends are 'phoney' right now, but once we get used to them as a new way of relating and interacting with other people, they won't be anymore. They'll just be friends you hang out with online.
   
3. Over to Seth. Having millions of Facebook friends ain't worth a cracker. It's the difference you make to each other in your actions that matter. Seth says it better than me in this off-the-cuff interview from Debbie Weil's You Tube page.
   

PS: You gotta love those glasses and yes, I am on Facebook.