I like online social networking, and I like e-philanthropy, but I'm not crazy about Facebook. When my esteemed client Robert Tolmach told me that Changing The Present had launched a Facebook application, I was delighted, because it seems like a lot of good causes are going there to raise money and organize their constitutents. And of course, I love the idea that instead of spending a dollar to send a Facebook buddy a virtual glass of beer, you could contribute the same amount toward promoting human rights.
Now, I really like sending the gift of support for human rights via Facebook, but my only other reason for encouraging colleagues and clients to use it is a very weak one: everybody's using it. If you're looking to build relationships with donors and activists, it seems like a much better bet than MySpace or even Change.Org, especially if you're in search of college-educated, middle-class supporters.
Although Web 2.0 fashions change quickly, at this moment it feels like every self-respecting 501(c)3 is going to need to develop an application that integrates with Facebook. And I feel mildly grumpy about it. There's no way to know whether the current trend will continue, but Facebook could wind up as the default front end (or at least the first point of contact) for every web-savvy nonprofit. And I'd feel better about that if I liked Facebook a lot more than I do.
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