Despite the grumblings about Facebook privacy issues, social networking – specifically Facebook – social networks are playing a larger part in users’ lives each day, according to a study by Publicis’ research unit Performics.
Half of Facebook users interact with brands online through ads to like a brand or product, and about one third of users have either learned about or recommended a new product or service to a friend. Ninety-percent of the 3,000 respondents who use Facebook said that the companies they like on the social network do a good job of providing relevant, meaningful content. Brand presence may not be completely measurable, but it also cannot be downplayed.
Speaking of Facebook’s privacy policy, I received an e-mail today from TurboTax assuring me that they do not share my tax or personal information with any third party marketers. I understood that to be the policy the past two years when I used their service (albeit two days after tax day. Sorry, IRS), and today’s email had no other message other than the reassurance of my information’s security. I can’t help but wonder how many such companies that collect sensitive data are reassuring their customers that their data is safe in the wake of Facebook’s privacy-related PR problems the past few weeks. How long until companies get flack for not being so reassuring in such randomly timed messages?
