@renetheberge And it's still not proven that being in front of the ads on FB drives any sort of action or behavior from the viewer. The same thing could be argued about TV, but the expectations around TV ads are different because watching TV is a passive experience whereas using a computer is a more interactive one. TV ads are about bringing attention to the product or brand and associating some sort of connotations or emotional response with the brand. The whole premise, originally, with internet ads was that people could click them to learn more or even be taken to a shopping cart and make a purchase. Who do you know that does that? Obviously people must at least click ads or I guess Google wouldn't rake it in like they do, but I just find that internet ads don't leave a lasting impression and are easier to tune out.
The other issue is that part of what helped FB succeed is that, while people do like some personalization, My Space was a free-for-all with people using all sorts of handles and littering their pages with all sorts of crap. FB offered a consistently clean interface that forced the use of real identities and connected people based on some sort of common denominator. If FB's attempts to monetize its traffic become more transparent to users, there could be a backlash, much like there is around the privacy issues or redesigns they do...
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