Tigers and Social Networks

Charlie Pratt published a post today giving his take on current happenings with both Twitter and Facebook. One company that has a history of ignoring any outside feedback, and one that he leaves out of his post, is Apple. While not a social network (R.I.P. Ping), Apple still sells multiple products to a massive, global consumer base. The difference between Apple and Twitbook is that Apple makes money from their consumers, something Twitter and Facebook are currently trying to put together.

Mr. Pratt goes on to observe:

As we watch Facebook and Twitter peak, one can’t help but notice that they suddenly seem incredibly vulnerable to the whim of the crowd. Crowds are finicky[...]

This only happens when you try to turn your consumer base, your crowd, into the product your selling.

Tigers don't like being sold, feeling captive, or turned into anything other than tigers.