Selling on social media – right or just plain wrong?

A snippet of Facebook news caught my eye this morning. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a complete Facebook detractor. Anything that captures the attention of circa 40% of us for an hour a day (double the time we spend reading newspapers or magazines) has got to have value. But, please, not for shopping. ASOS is the mail order company for this generation. I started my direct marketing life working with catalogue companies like Grattan. Huge books that landed with a thud on the door mat! ASOS have brought their digital skills to this market, and to datem have stolen it with great success. But, as with all growth stories they have just reached their “bridge too far”. They have recently taken down their Facebook shop, and triggered debate as to whether this is the end of “F-commerce”. But there shouldn't be any debate, and there should be no “F-Commerce”. It’s an oxymoron. Facebook is Starbucks or your old man’s pub. It’s a place to hang and gossip. It’s not a place to be sold to in. Sure, add social commentary features and reviews to your Ecommerce site, so users can praise you. But please don’t invade personal space to sell. When will we ever develop a digital etiquette? Mike Colling Managing Director