The rash of headlines about Facebook recently shows just how quickly the social networking site has become embedded in the web's conciousness. It should be no great surprise that advertisers, sniffing an opportunity, followed suit and started throwing money at the site.
Well, at least they did until they suddenly developed the heeby jeebies when it was discovered that their adverts were running in some slightly less palatable places on the website.
Realising that their adverts might be appearing on pages created by supporters of the British National Party, a string of companies withdrew their support for Facebook - first Vodafone, then Virgin Media, Halifax and others. The boycott quickly gained support from a host of anti-racism groups, and led a few pundits to worry about the future of Web 2.0 if nobody wants to advertise with them.
The complaint's pretty simple; that Facebook doesn't have enough control over where its adverts go. But while I understand the motives - and I'm certainly no fan of the BNP and everything they stand for - I can't help thinking that it's an incredible overreaction to a logistical problem.
First of all, this is far from being the first time that advertisers have goggled about the idea that they can't control everything on the internet. Last year, for example, Virgin pulled a competition that it was running on the comedy website b3ta; a user-generated, taboo-busting pit of funny filth. A few bad-taste jokes later and Virgin, usually desperate to be seen as a young and trendy brand, decided it was all just a bit too edgy and ran away.
Or look at directory phone service 118 118. They're complaining because former employees are using Facebook to bitch about how annoying customers were. The complaint is really no different from those that have gone before - from the first newsgroups online to the arrival of blogging. Stupid businesses never learn, but the world keeps turning regardless.
Why? Because in the end, advertisers are desperate to parade themselves and their products. That's why they went to Facebook and its 30 million affluent young users in the first place. They don't care if they sell their products to racists and BNP supporters; just if they are seen to be doing so.
If they didn't know what they were getting into, then they should look for some new advertising agencies. But I think they're more intelligent than that.
Yes, if this turns into a serious boycott, then Facebook will need to come up with a better way to spread advertising around the site. At the moment, though, it just reeks of a publicity stunt: Facebook is the technology story du jour; every twist and turn in the site's life gets media attention.
Advertisers know that, and they also know that they can get more mileage out of not paying for advertising than they do for forking out the cash. There are nasty people on the internet? Time to grow up - there are nasty people everywhere.
