Comments on: Facebook Zero: A Paradigm Shift

By: 27 months » Blog Archive » Twitter-MTN Partnership & Innovation in Cameroon

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:51:56 +0000

[...] it matters The Twitter-MTN Cameroon deal is significant on several levels. While perhaps not the paradigm shift of Facebook Zero, Twitter mobile is already showing signs of being a strong driver of ICT usage and [...]

By: rob allen

rob allen — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:15:04 +0000

IMHO Zero data rate is the holy grail of mHealth(and possibly other m’s) – the possibilities are quite staggering – I am amazed that no-one appears to have started using facebook zero for mHealth Hacks – If it was available in South Africa I’ll be shouting about this from the rooftops but alas -
http://memeburn.com/2010/06/mtn-says-zero-chance-of-facebook-zero/

By: Free Facebook newsfeed anyone? | Applications for Change

Free Facebook newsfeed anyone? | Applications for Change — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:54:02 +0000

[...] reading about 0.facebook at WhiteAfrican, I’ve been obsessing a bit about its potential for reaching millions of people. It’s [...]

By: Mark Murphy

Mark Murphy — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:39:12 +0000

I would counter some of the fears expressed here. Like Compuserve and AOL’s walled gardens in the early days, this stage will pass. 0.facebook adopters will get a taste of the possibilities and will find a way to get the whole package. As with MXit, this is a way to get more people at least a piece of the internet. Finally, recent announcements about privacy protection on the site are heading in the right direction. What Facebook must share with host governments should be watched too.

-Mark

By: Guy

Guy — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:38:11 +0000

This also brings up the question of net neutrality. The ISPs will open their bandwidth to the highest bidder . The websites with the most cash can pay more and load their content faster. The small players can get hurt here. I We need some kind of legislation to be developed in parallel.

By: Swedish African

Swedish African — Mon, 24 May 2010 08:13:23 +0000

We did this in Sweden in 2007 with the Dagens Nyheter (Daily News) Mobile service… Did not fly. Cultural differences with an economy of abundence.

By: Prabhas Pokharel

Prabhas Pokharel — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:20:11 +0000

I think the biggest thing about this announcement is what Facebook presented to carriers at the Mobile Web Congress. *Paid* mobile Web usage rose after 0.fb.com was put up (and then pulled down) in the UK. I think this will probably carry over in many other parts of the world, and thats why its definitely a big deal.
The biggest danger to me, is that people’s first introduction to the mobile web will be facebook. A company with poor track record for privacy sensitivity, and for listening to its users. It just gives facbeook too much power over the mobile world.

For more, see what facebook planned with facebook zero at http://bit.ly/bWo7BS, starting at 9:00.

By: Stacey Monk

Stacey Monk — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:59:23 +0000

i’m not at all sure this is a good thing…for reasons people likely much smarter than me on this thread have already stated.

foreign-held global monopolies don’t seem like an economic development engine for emerging economies. maybe i’ll be proven wrong.

By: Kevin Donovan

Kevin Donovan — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:53:09 +0000

This is not a ‘big score for mobile web consumers’ – it is anti-competitive and limits the ability of new entrants to gain users.

Lowly capitalized entrepreneurs and innovators are going to be unable to strike similar deals with mobile operators (especially at this scale). They won’t gain traction. It is akin to a non-neutral Internet. Apps took off due to the iPhone significantly lower the transaction costs arising from negotiation with operators. This raises that bar.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:11:27 +0000

I would be wary of anything free from those shysters. There’s no such thing as a free lunch and if they’re sucking up lower traffic areas in Africa, it may be because they’ve outstayed their welcome with their own people for a very shameful reason…