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Facebook Acquires FriendFeed

Posted by kdawson on from the friends-indeed dept.

Several readers including carpenter37 let us know that FriendFeed has sold itself to Facebook. Nobody who knows is talking about the terms of the deal. Here is Facebook's announcement, and here is FriendFeed's, which elaborates: "As my mom explained to me, when two companies love each other very much, they form a structured investment vehicle." FriendFeed was founded in 2007 by four ex-Googlers, including Paul Buchheit — the engineer behind Gmail and the originator of Google's "Don't be evil" motto — and Bret Taylor, a former group product manager who launched Google Maps.

23 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. Bah. by FlyingBishop · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm getting really tired of my social interactions carrying on in a walled garden outside of my control.

    Really, I'd be satisfied if they'd just start charging money and quit trying to do data mining on my social life.

    Also quit trying to innovate. I want an easily configurable messaging utility that only allows trusted contacts, and some photo upload and publishing ability (with comments) that piggybacks on the trusted communication. Anything above that is just burning CPU cycles. (Honestly, Facebook is as bad as Slashdot, and if they're making the news feed dynamic, it's going to be even worse.)

    1. Re:Bah. by hyades1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Really, I'd be satisfied if they'd just start charging money and quit trying to do data mining on my social life.

      If you started paying, do you really believe they wouldn't collect your money AND data mine your social life? Your innocence is refreshing.

      May I suggest that if a man approaches you with a business arrangement involving African personages of royal ancestry, you consider that he may not have your best interests at heart?

      --
      I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
    2. Re:Bah. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Me too. I think that's what WeOurFamily is trying to do. Private, explicit sharing and no data mining are what attract me to this service-in-beta.

    3. Re:Bah. by Eil · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I want an easily configurable messaging utility that only allows trusted contacts, and some photo upload and publishing ability (with comments) that piggybacks on the trusted communication.

      Publish your status (tweets) as RSS, upload your photos to flickr, and post your rants on blogspot. That's what we did in the olden days. (Two years ago.)

      But I've been thinking about ways to break the walled garden and have come to 2 conclusions:

      1) The garden is already here. I don't know if there will be anything bigger than Twitter or Facebook, or how long they'll last but they will undoubtedly go down in history next to Email and IRC as far as breakthrough Internet communication methods. They're big enough now that they won't be going away soon. You won't tear half the population away from either just by building the same thing and saying, "here, this one's open." They don't care. Social networking is here to stay and Facebook and Twitter let them do what they want to do.

      2) That said, there's really no reason that an open social networking framework couldn't be built upon something like XMPP. Website operators could use this framework to setup niche sites ("death metal macebook" or "gardening rakebook") that users could sign up with and connect with users at other sites without leaving their own. The framework would allow basic instant messaging, status, blogs, media content, etc. The downfall to this is that a) FB and twitter are already too well-entrenched 2) Every website wants to be their own walled garden, completely isolated from the rest of the web unless its on their own narrow terms.

    4. Re:Bah. by f1vlad · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'd agree with anything but 'quit trying to innovate' ? Why would anyone consider that?

      --
      o_O
    5. Re:Bah. by Bakkster · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I want an easily configurable messaging utility that only allows trusted contacts, and some photo upload and publishing ability (with comments) that piggybacks on the trusted communication.

      Publish your status (tweets) as RSS, upload your photos to flickr, and post your rants on blogspot. That's what we did in the olden days. (Two years ago.)

      RSS doesn't have privacy features.

      Basically, in the last two years, the services have come under one roof. It's a walled garden vs an open platform. Sure, a platform would probably be nicer, but who would develop it? Who would agree on the standards? How frequently would it get updated?

      Honestly, it feels like the walled garden approach wins for flexibility and simplicity.

      --
      Write your representatives! Repeal the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics!
    6. Re:Bah. by Arrawa · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually, a social network called Hyves is just doing that. They have used XMPP, you can import twitter-feeds and import photo's from Flickr via rss. They are working on connecting their services to Facebook, Myspace etc.

      For those who don 't know Hyves, its a 5-your old network with 9 million members, most of which are Dutch. In fact, most Dutch have a Hyves profile.

      They make good money with advertisements, including socalled 'hyvertisement' where members can advertise with their friend's friends for a couple of euro's. Also payed for services make a decent buck for them.

      For now, they have resisted offers from almost all other networks. Facebook is getting bigger in the Netherlands, but still lagging way behind Hyves. Other networks, except maybe last.fm or linkedin, are virtually non-existant here.

  2. Re:Another stupid buy out by masterlogan2000 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How could FriendFeed sell to Facebook?!

    $$$

  3. Slashdot Poster Acquires Fiend Freed by sexconker · · Score: 5, Funny

    My new app will let you know whenever any of your fiends are freed from prison.

    Keep tabs on your enemies and know when to fear for your life! Get alerts for end-of-sentence release, parole and work-release programs, prison transfers, breakouts, and death.

    FiendFreed can mean the difference between life and death, and you'll never have to consider witness protection again!

    1. Re:Slashdot Poster Acquires Fiend Freed by value_added · · Score: 3, Funny

      My new app will let you know whenever any of your fiends are freed from prison.

      I'm in prison you insensitive clod!

    2. Re:Slashdot Poster Acquires Fiend Freed by SpottedKuh · · Score: 5, Funny

      I know. Thanks, FiendFreed!

  4. full circle by hitchhacker · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How many social networking sites are we gonna go through before we settle on an open platform? Anybody remember Friendster? Myspace, Orkut, Facebook, Google Reader. Oh, I found a really long list of them.

    I honestly can't believe that Facebook will be worth much considering how many other sites we've already gone through. I'm usually wrong though, so who knows.

    -metric

    1. Re:full circle by TheModelEskimo · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Do you remember when search engines were also a dime a dozen? I remember about 9 or 10 years ago, people coming into the office and grabbing all their stuff, because they were moving to whatever the search engine flavor of the week was.

      So the answer seems to be, "There's room for one or two." Just gotta give them time to whittle each other down.

    2. Re:full circle by hitchhacker · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Google Reader is an RSS aggregator, not a social networking site.

      The group of people I currently see sharing content on Google Reader suggests otherwise. It has been moving towards the social aspect for awhile now. eg. Sharing content, commenting, 'liking'. It feels like a precursor to what Google Wave is trying to be.

      -metric

    3. Re:full circle by werdnapk · · Score: 3, Informative

      An open platform such as http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/ ?

    4. Re:full circle by prockcore · · Score: 2, Funny

      The fact that you list Google Reader as a "social networking site" tells me you are unclear on either google reader, or social networking.

      Google Reader may have some social networking ability, but it's still primarily an rss aggregator.

    5. Re:full circle by Korbeau · · Score: 2, Funny

      > How many social networking sites are we gonna go through before we settle on an open platform?

      I'd say 60 or so. By that time we'll totally have lost our interests in so called "friends" and just go along our cyborg life.

  5. Re:That's funny... by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Uh oh, "don't be evil" leaves just before the Google Wave launch?

    And all of slashdot quivered in fear.

  6. FriendFeed by alienzed · · Score: 2, Funny

    make a sandwhich, then make a friend, then give said sandwhich to said friend, et voila!

    --
    Never say never. Ah!! I did it again!
  7. Terms of the deal by everynerd · · Score: 5, Informative

    Sure, we know the terms of the deal. Roughly $50 Million. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124993350820120361.html

    1. Re:Terms of the deal by TaggartAleslayer · · Score: 5, Funny

      An informative post, sir. Now I feel bad about using my mod points on random hooker jokes today.

  8. When Google turned to the dark side by Animats · · Score: 2, Interesting

    When did he leave Google?

    In 2004 and 2005, Google sponsored the Web Spam Summmit, on how to stop web spam. In 2006 and later, Google sponsored the Search Engine Strategies conference, on how to create web spam. So 2006 is when Google turned to the dark side.

  9. Face[boook]Friend[Feed] by tagno25 · · Score: 2, Funny

    So when will the newly designed FriendFace be bought by FaceFriend? Will I then be able to add Moss or Roy to my FaceFriend friend list?