Comments on: How Facebook could clean up the offers industry

By: Ryan Graves

Ryan Graves — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:54:59 +0000

Brilliant. I think that someone with a voice needs to step up and challenge FB & others to make this change. Maybe Arrington will do it but seems that it needs to someone on the inside. Hopefully Zuckerberg or Pincus will step it up here.

By: Bill Mitchell

Bill Mitchell — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:01:22 +0000

This is related to the “Complexity vs Transparency” issue:
http://nostradoofus.com/2009/06/17/complexity-v...

When the number of agents is large, a standardized interface helps hold own the costs of interaction.

Whether deliberately or not, this is what ASCAP did for the music industry. Standardizing licensing terms made it much easier for licensees to say yes.

Even more generally, this is a special case of the paradox of choice. Fewer deal options results in more business.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_theory#Pa...

By: Ton Bil

Ton Bil — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:37:49 +0000

You hit the offers industry right in the face, I think. But… there is some hidden truth here as well, Andrew. Buying behaviour is only partially as “rational” as you seem to have it.

I think “behavioral economics” (Tversky & Kahnemann), “influence model' (Cialdini) and “behavior model” (BJ Fogg) are worth to be taken into consideration. Or did you?

By: Robert Dempsey

Robert Dempsey — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:27:30 +0000

Great idea Andrew. More and more the middle men in many industries are being cut out. It all a matter of time before it happens with the advertising here as well.

By: Robert Dempsey

Robert Dempsey — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:27:30 +0000

Great idea Andrew. More and more the middle men in many industries are being cut out. It all a matter of time before it happens with the advertising here as well.