What Facebook's Mobile Strategy *Should* Look Like

I'm sure by now you have heard that Facebook's shares have been taking a dive since its initial IPO offering.  I am baffled as to why Facebook has been unable to tap into the mobile market, given the 900 million users it claims to have.  I am even more baffled at the current Facebook app that I have installed on my Android phone: it looks and functions just like the website, while completely ignoring the fact that it has access to my current location wherever I may be. For crying out loud it is 2012 and you are a huge company with billions of dollars and you can't figure out a way to make money while your app is installed on my phone and accompanies me nearly everywhere I go 24 hours a day?!

OK - I know how it is when someone is too close to a problem.  This happens to me all the time - I can't see the obvious solution.  So, if I owned Facebook (scary thought I know) I would be thinking about how I could implement the following:

I would want all of my users to start experiencing the web and their connections to others through the Facebook app.  Think of the Facebook app as a portal to the rest of the internet and their Facebook profile as a type of currency.  Every time someone is near a Starbucks, a notification could pop up inviting the user to get $0.50 off a latte if they buy it with their Facebook account.  Similarly, users could earn "points" for buying products and services through their Facebook accounts.  Facebook could partner with game companies and offer subscriptions at reduced rates.  Facebook would make a killing in referral charges for utilizing their network.  This is just the start - imagine being able to talk to someone for free through your Facebook account (voice or text) since everyone will be signed in all the time.  The opportunities to connect and create new experiences through the Facebook portal (app) would be right in your pocket, whenever you need it.  These are just a few ideas off the top of my head - can you come up with more?

Improving LinkedIn

Recently, a new app called Branchout was introduced on Facebook and it got me thinking about how stale LinkedIn has become lately.  However, I believe that LinkedIn could be improved if a few key features were added.

First, I would open up the content in the groups to all users of LinkedIn, but only allow group members to contribute to group discussions, polls, post, view and reply to jobs, etc.  This would keep the group membership exclusive, but would open up the information to everyone.  I predict this would make the quality of posts improve on average because the user's words would reach a larger audience and enable people to share information between different groups.  This could improve the chances of innovation and collaboration between individuals of different disciplines.  It would cut down on the information silo effect of LinkedIn and increase the quality of the information.  Done correctly, it would totally transform LinkedIn and make it more valuable and more visible to the public and indispensable to numerous professionals.

Second, I would add the ability to chat instantly with any user (like Facebook).  I can't fathom why LinkedIn doesn't allow this feature.  Imagine being able to talk to anyone in your extended network, as soon as you found that person's profile, if that user accepts the chat feature and the request to chat.  This would instantly encourage people to be logged into LinkedIn on a more regular basis while also increasing ad venue and user engagement.  This could be a huge win for LinkedIn.

Third, I would add the ability to create blog posts within LinkedIn.  This would enable potential employers to read what potential job candidates have written and what other experience they may have.  It would showcase writing skills and research interests.  This would be a great way for people to create a nice professional portfolio of themselves online.  LinkedIn feels so two-dimensional with jobs worked and skills acquired.  Anyone could post anything on their profile, but knowledge, skills and personality could also be demonstrated in blog posts.  This would benefit both users, prospective employers and LinkedIn by increasing site usage, user engagement and portraying a more accurate picture of what each LinkedIn professional really knows.  

Forth, I would add ratings to individual groups, users and posts.  This would use game theory principles to add incentives for posting quality content, becoming a member of a highly rated group and also encourage more users to join.  Users who post content others find helpful would naturally have higher ratings and be first in line for consideration of job opportunities and/or getting connected.

I believe that adding those few simple features and improving the information architecture and user experience of the site would solidify LinkedIn's presence on the web as *the* place professionals need to go to connect and collaborate because of the strength and legitimacy of its communities.