June 12 2012
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) has been a growth machine since it launched for select university students in 2004, growing its user base to nearly 1 billion in eight years, leading many to believe it untouchable. But while Facebook is still king of the social networks, its growth lately has been none too impressive.
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The social network’s growth rate in the U.S. has come to a near-dead halt, according to the Wall Street Journal. Unique visitors to the site were up 5 percent to 158 million in April, compared with a year earlier, according to ComScore data. That’s the lowest growth rate since the firm started tracking Facebook in 2008. Also keep in mind, that number is significantly lower than the “total users” Facebook claims, which is over 900 billion — that’s because many Facebook account holders rarely, if ever, log in.
In April 2011, unique visitors grew 24 percent over the year-ago period, and in April 2010, visitors grew 89 percent. Yes, the site is still growing, but at a much smaller pace, which begs the question, When will numbers begin to fall back? It seems only a matter of time — and not much time, at that.
The amount of time users are spending on the site is also slowing, according to WSJ. Users spent an average of six hours on the site in April, up 16 percent from 2011. However, in April 2011, average time spent on the site was up 23 percent over the year earlier, and that figure was up 57 percent over the year earlier in April 2010.
“Declining growth rates are a natural part of the growth cycle,” ComScore analyst Andrew Lipsman told The Wall Street Journal. But until now, there hasn’t been anything “natural” about Facebook’s growth cycle. How else could it have been valued at 100 times earnings when it went public? Clearly many people then still had faith in what they thought was an unstoppable growth machine. But the numbers tell a different story.
Another recent report by Reuters and Ipsos showed that roughly 34 percent of Facebook users spend less time on the site than they did six months ago, saying it had become “boring” or that it was “not useful.” Only 20 percent of respondents said they now spend more time on the social network, while roughly half spend the same amount of time.
Those numbers will certainly make advertisers wary — the site has already been criticized for its less-than-stellar ad model, which had General Motors (NYSE:GM), one of the biggest advertisers in the country, ultimately pull its business just ahead of Facebook’s IPO last month. If Facebook sticks to its ad model, but users begin to decline, then it will really be in a mess.
Shares of Facebook traded up 40 cents today to close at $27.40 per share.
http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/facebook-by-numbers-will-the-social-network-crash-and-burn.html/
An 8 step program to rid your life of Facebook.
Good morning. You have taken the first step of deactivating your Facebook. Perhaps it was tough to get yourself to do it — to get past that last screen where Facebook tries to tell you who will miss you. They post pictures of loved ones, acting like once you leave their precious site that those loved ones will somehow leave your life. Again, that is what they want you to think. They want you to think that in order to be social you need Facebook. They want you to think that once you deactivate that you can not contact those people, hence they will miss you. Chances are, you are moved by that, as there are probably some people on there who you have developed strong relationships with. However, if the relationships are really that strong, you will not be leaving them, and hence, they will not have reason to miss you.
So, now that you have deactivated, you are ready to face the real challenge. Not going back. For this reason, I have created an eight step program.
1. First, take a deep breath and congratulate yourself. It was not easy to leave a site that you have probably logged countless hours on. Facebook should have came with a clock to count the time you were on there. I would not be surprised if some people have spent in excess of 100 days total on that site. And, totaled throughout life, one could easily spend a year of their life on Facebook. Scary huh? Some people have multiple profiles, but that is not you, so now you can congratulate yourself.
2. Treat yourself to something nice. Make yourself a good breakfast, buy yourself a nice new book, go to the park and take some pictures (remember: you don’t have to post them to Facebook! They are yours to cherish).
3. Do something productive. Chances are if you have just got rid of Facebook you have a lot you want to do. Maybe start writing a book. Make up the house, light some candles, put on some relaxing music. Sit down and create some goals. Do a couple of homework assignments. See how productive you can be when you are not being nagged by that mental voice that keeps telling you to take a break and check your Facebook.
4. Get away from the computer. For many people a $1200 computer is really a Facebook machine. Chances are you see it all the time at school or at the coffee shop. People using a Macbook Air or similar expensive device almost exclusively to check their Facebook. Perhaps most of your computer time was spent checking Facebook. So, try to get away from the computer for a while. Go for a walk, and maybe leave that cell phone home as well. This is your time.
5. Celebrate each day away from the ball & chain. Keep note of every day you are not on Facebook. When people ask you if you have Facebook, tell them that you have not been on it for (insert amount of days here). Be proud when you say it. If they ask why, tell them your views on it. Tell them what you have accomplished with out it. Keep track of what you have done since getting rid of it. I promise you that your life will in many ways improve.
6. Find a non-Facebook hobby. Sometimes you may find yourself bored and drawn to the computer. Perhaps you will think “there is no where else to go other than Facebook.” That is very wrong, however. The internet is full of interesting blogs, webpages, and learning tools. Facebook is in no way, shape, or form a learning tool. In fact, one could say that with all the political propaganda and skewed statistics, Facebook actually DESTROYS THE MIND.
7. Clear your computers Cashe, History, and Cookies. You do not want Facebook appearing ANYWHERE on your computer as you type a website. It is all too easy to hit enter and find yourself reactivating it. You must get rid of the temptation, especially at the beginning. Remember, in many ways Facebook is a SERIOUS obsession, like alcohol or drugs. You may not want to admit it, but if you feel drawn to it in such a manner there is no doubt that Facebook is indeed an awful obsession. Restrain yourself!
8. If you long to be social, be social. Facebook is not social. In fact, Facebook calls itself a social networking site, but is, in reality, an asocial networking site. In reality you are networking with other asocial people who are hellbent on getting the most friends possible. Sorry to sound like Yoda, but by Creating an army of friends social does not make you. Facebook does not allow one to express their deeper self. While you can share photos and short statuses, Facebook runs afoul of giving a person a way to truly express themselves. There are far better ways to express your creativity to the world than through Facebook. You don’t need it to be social, and the reality is, by being on Facebook you may actually have been less social than you would have been without it.
It’s shaping up to be a beautiful new life. A life without Facebook.
http://www.facebookdetox.com/2012/03/8-step-program-to-rid-your-life-of.html