Facebook’s IPO has generated a mountain of opinions as to the market value of the social media giant. Here at Macheen, we too have been wondering what Facebook is worth. How’s, say, $5/month sound?
No, we’re not talking market value. We’re wondering what users might pay to have constant connectivity to one of the world’s most popular Internet destinations.
Sound strange? CNET recently reported on some new data from Experian Hitwise, which says that Facebook.com received 9% of all U.S. Internet visits in April 2012 and the average visit time is 20 minutes. So if you’re someone whose primary Internet activity is Facebook, what might you pay for the opportunity to be assured of connectivity when you’re on the train or otherwise out-of-range of Wi-Fi? You almost certainly wouldn’t sign a two-year contract and pay a steep monthly fee for all-you-can-eat mobile broadband. But how about a pay-as-you go option at an economical rate that gives you access to Facebook but nothing else?
This kind of custom connectivity isn’t far-fetched. It’s possible today on the Macheen platform, which enables a myriad of new mobile business models for device makers and content providers. We call this tailored access to individual sites, apps or services “fractionalized access.” But if you remember the old Burger King campaign, you can think of it as “have it your way,” applied not to Whoppers but rather to Internet connectivity for non-phone devices.
Want more than Facebook? Perhaps a “social bundle” that gives you Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Gmail? That can be done. Maybe you’re a device maker that wants your users to have constant, free access to your online store (Kindle’s done pretty well there!) Done. Or a Fortune 500 business that wants remote employees to have constant, secure and economical access to everything inside the firewall. All possible via Macheen.
This week’s announcements from Macheen and Lenovo (Lenovo Mobile Access) are about just a few of the many possible options when it comes to right-sizing and customizing connectivity. So whether it’s Facebook, Salesforce, email or Skype—or all of the above—it’s OK. Have it your way.
