"Facebook’s Spam Problem"

Thu 17 January 2008

Facebook grew by providing a safe-haven from spam, an access controlled area where interactions could be limited to those desired by the user.

Facebook respected users, famously limiting the amount of advertising to protect the user experience.

The Facebook platform was brilliant, bringing immense value to the system.

Now, however, Facebook is one giant spam-fest. Facebook itself is still respectful of its users. The Facebook apps, however, are anything but.

I'm not just getting spammed by apps that I installed; I'm even getting spammed by apps my friends installed.

Facebook needs to re-evaluate how to limit the reach of these apps. They're eroding one of the key values provided by Facebook, devaluing the entire system.