A ‘Beacon’ of light for online advertising?

Just when you thought web marketing couldn't get any awesomer, Facebook introduced Beacon – 'Social Ads' that tell you all about the products and companies your friends are buying and supporting. Turns out, having their habits and information spread throughout their online social network didn't delight Facebook users as much as advertisers expected.

Facebook gained popularity as a social network because students joined in the protective bubbles of their colleges. It was safe and personal... your online friends were usually your real-life friends. Facebook, unlike MySpace, wasn't about advertising or being fans of Britney Spears.

So Beacon's launch caused major backlash. Nobody wanted to see on their News Feed that their friend John had just bought a pair of Nikes or written a review of Sushi Hut. And John didn't feel comfortable that his personal information was being shared indiscriminately. What if John had just bought a lifetime subscription to Hustler magazine?

Fortunately, Facebook listened (kind of) to users, Mark Zuckerberg apologized, and Beacon can now be opted-out of. However, many are still calling for Beacon to be a totally opt-in program, and Facebook users are disenchanted and wary of online advertising more now than ever.

Let this be a lesson to advertisers: Don't creep your audience out with sneaky, invasive marketing.