Thread by @ginab

1/ A few days ago, my mom sent me an text, “Hey Gina, did you see the Mark Zuckerberg news? He said Facebook was going to focus on privacy and groups. Hope you’re great!”

2/ Like my mother, I had heard the news. Unlike my mother, I happen to be an expert on building groups around interests and passions on platforms other than Facebook.

3/ I’m a passionate believer that there should be millions of different social networks for every conceivable interest, goal, purpose, and lifestyle.

4/ I highlight this alternative for two reasons. First, the possibility STILL exists for a different future where we can have all that we love about connecting with people around our interests, passions, goals, and families without relying on a single company and mono-culture.

5/ This future is awesome and it IS possible. And if anyone trusts Facebook to build this world, they are not paying attention.
linkedin.com/pulse/facebook…

6/ Our goal isn’t to have more privacy and groups on Facebook. It’s to be private and secure FROM Facebook.

7/ And in this new world of privacy and groups, how exactly is Facebook going to meet Wall Street’s expectations of double digit growth on top of $55 billion? Given its business model and history, there are really only three ways for Facebook to make money:

8/ (1) Advertise in private, encrypted messages or within Facebook groups.
(2) Restrict discovery of a Facebook group unless the admin pays for promotion. (3) Suppress organic distribution of Facebook group posts unless the admin pays to boost them.

9/ I doubt that group admins will come out ahead in this bargain. In fact, I would argue this latest digital serfdom is even more destructive to *more* people than the bargain struck with Facebook by brands a decade ago.

10/ In the not so distant future, group admins will not just be doing the hard work of keeping their groups active, they will have to pay Facebook for the privilege of running their Facebook groups in ways that we can’t even imagine today.

11/ But there is a silver lining: creators–or those group admins–aren’t falling for it. In the past six months, I have never met more people ready for an alternative to Facebook groups. In fact, it’s stunning.

12/ Facebook is not going away anytime soon, but our relationship with it will continue to change. This change is starting with creators, or the Facebook group admins doing the hard work of driving engagement, who are also realizing their power.
mightynetworks.com/experiential-c…

13/ These creators have enough of an audience to spin out their own community on their own platforms and, for the first time in a decade, on their own terms–no ads and nothing standing in the way between their brand and their people.
mightynetworks.com/creators-numbe…

14/ As more creators see the opportunity to create something special for their members away from Facebook,more of them are moving. The impact on people’s lives of these moves are profound: deeper conversations, real identities, and a stronger focus on the here and now.

15/ I think we’re closer to a world of millions of different, unique social networks than ever before.

16/ With the help of members clamoring for something different, creators are finding their power and taking the bet that they can create a better and more meaningful experience away from Facebook for the people they serve.
mightynetworks.com/experiential-c…

17/ All we need now is you. #community