“Why compare user numbers between a browser and a social network? Because there’s every reason to believe that the two technologies are converging in the near term future.” – Marshall Kirkpatrick
True story: Facebook has the potential to become your all-in-one Internet consumption hub. Think social interactions combined with what you do already in your web browser on a daily basis. This is where Firefox and Facebook may throw some elbows at each other. After all, Firefox has the same potential and both have the user bases (Facebook 200 million, Firefox 270 million) needed to create the ‘new standard’ of content consumption.
According to Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadWriteWeb in his article Firefox Could Be the Real Facebook Challenger , Firefox could be well on it’s way to becoming more social. In the article, Kirkpatrick states “Within months not years, the Firefox browser is likely to look very, very different.” He also provides some great examples of what could be in store.
Facebook obviously thrives on social, and now they’re working towards twining the Facebook experience together with the rest of the web. Look no further than Facebook Connect or Facebook’s most recent announcement to see proof of that. But Kirkpatrick’s points are clear – Firefox has a chance to come at it from a different angle and completely innovate the online browsing experience.
We see examples of better browsing through networks like Glue , which is a Firefox add-on that connects you with your friends around the everyday things you visit and like online, and services like Apture , which allows publishers to add multimedia from other sites directly to their own engaging interface. Those who use Glue and Apture experience the value of contextual browsing. With Glue, users see things on the web through their friends’ footprints and it becomes a social joyride. With Apture, the content presented is up to the publisher, and the user chooses their journey. These two distinctly different tools provide a similar meaningful experience – something Firefox and Facebook both need to strive for.
For brands, this type of discussion signals opportunity. The more social and context driven the web gets, the more meaningful connections can be made with consumers. No matter if it’s Facebook as a social network turned browser or Firefox in the reverse, the concept of a one-stop-shop is confirmation that the more brands associate online now, the better. As the web evolves, you need to jump in and be part of it. The last thing you want is to get left behind.
