Facebook to launch messaging service

The Facebook co-founder & CEO, Mark Zuckerberg has announced that Facebook would launch messaging services for internet users in an event organized in SF, CA.



Apparently, I came across some news, blog posts, twitter updates where people claimed that facebook messaging service is an alternative to gmail. But as clarified by Mark Z, such is not the case:: "Facebook messaging service is not gmail killer". He has proposed a different propositions for users. For Facebook, the target user group is the one who want to use email for personal, informal, seamless access. It has a concept of Social Inbox Prima facie, it looks similar to Google Buzz integrated with gmail but of course with Facebook touch.

No sooner did Mark Z, announced about Facebook messaging service than people started posting messages like "Can't wait for facebook email", "I want it first", etc in literally hundreds, thousands in nubmers. It gives the kind of craze users of facebook have, about the facebook products.

Going beyond the announcement and if I can read between the lines (:-)) I feel, this is an attempt to get into the online advertisement business in aggressive manner.

• Looking at the trend in last few years, the extent of User Generated Content (UGC) made available online has multi-fold (e.g. videos uploaded in youtube, photos on Facebook, picasa, etc)
  
• Such user generated content and people accessing these UGC are going to be the huge, huge market for electronic publisher, online advertisers to help companies reach to their target customers (and good part of online publishing is it's relatively more & reasonably measurable than prevailing mainstream media)
  
• Now with the messaging services in its kitty, Facebook will have even more user data with it to make it a revenue generating proposition in longer run
• Recently, I came across a study where it claimed that in North America, the average time spend by a user is as good as spent on Facebook, as it is on google search. Earlier, google search used to have more share of average time spent by user in online surfing
• Look at it this way, even google is aware of the fact that out of the online traffic hitting youtube has single largest source originating from facebook
• This make a good reason for Facebook to unlock avenues to generate revenue through its online product offerings to user

I think, Facebook Management is well aware about their user groups/customers. Facebook user wants to have communication which is informal, easy, quick and a fun experience. If this is true then which all corporations can think of using Facebook as a medium | as a serious medium | to promote their products, services:: value propositions to user is reasonably understood. Can every other corporation, company expect to get similar outcome on money spent on online advertisement: specifically on Facebook? I guess, not!

:Dhan