Getting over the Facebook hump
These days, it seems I can't check my Bloglines account without reading something about how great Facebook is.
The thing is, if I'm reading it via my Bloglines account, that means its from a source I deem respectable and worthwhile. Couple that with the 'friend' requests I've gotten from my own network and I have to believe Facebook has some there there. So I've been asking myself what has taken me so long (in Web 2.0 time, at least) to get on the train.
Frankly, I think it's the name. I haven't taken it seriously to this point because all I can think of is those books you'd get in college with photos of the incoming freshman class. While that was obviously the idea when the service was first launched, there is clear momentum for Facebook as a tool for professionals.
I find this interesting from a branding/PR/marketing standpoint. A natural knee-jerk reaction would be to change the name of the company/service to better reflect what it is and aspires to be. On the other hand, there is already significant brand equity in the current name.
Normally, I'm not a big fan of name changes (a lot of time, effort and money spent on a final product that is often worse than the original!), but I wonder if the opportunity cost (in potential users like me that aren't giving Facebook the attention it warrants) outweighs the current brand equity.