I was wondering how long it would take Facebook to start offering something like Deals. They already have a history of taking winning concepts from other startups, repackaging for FB, then getting people who aren’t traditionally “early adopters” to start using them.
Twitter > FB Status Updates
Youtube > FB Videos
Quora > FB Questions
Foursquare > FB Locations
Foursquare/Groupon > FB Deals
It’s a clever strategy for Facebook– they already know what people like/don’t like about the concept without having to take the risks on their own. Also, they don’t have to worry about the sparse user problem. And they know that early adopters have been looking for a way to get their more conservative friends to join them in this “cool endeavor”.
Well played, Facebook. But social startup, what’s your plan for when FB sees you as competition?