Facebook Answers 5 Key Social Inbox Questions
Social media giant says its new messaging platform will not add to the rich stream of user data that informs Facebook.com ad placements.
While the launch of Facebook’s Social Inbox on Monday appeared to be a potentially important expansion for the social media giant, it left unanswered questions for marketers.
ClickZ reached out to the Palo Alto, CA-based company with queries about ID data, Facebook Connect/Instant Personalization data portability, and e-mail deliverability. Facebook seems to be adamant that the Social Inbox will not be a boon to marketers on its platform. And in three of the questions, it reiterated what has become a bit of a mantra when reacting to privacy-sensitive situations: Facebook does not share personally identifiable information.
Below is the e-mail exchange between Facebook’s team and ClickZ:
ClickZ: Will the Social Inbox add a new layer of data – from e-mail, direct messages, SMS, chat – to a person’s user ID?
Facebook: No. Facebook Messages was built to help people connect more easily, quickly and effectively with the people they care about. Facebook Messages are private, and Facebook is not using the content in Messages, including to target ads. You own and control your information on Facebook. Facebook does not sell or pass along your information to advertisers or [third] parties.
CZ: Will Social Inbox-related data be portable via Instant Personalization or Facebook Connect?
FB: No.
CZ: Will the Social Inbox create new ad inventory like Google AdSense promos appearing via Gmail?
FB: Facebook Marketplace Ads are served on many different Pages on Facebook and will continue to be served on Messages pages. As always, Marketplace Ads appear in the right-hand column of each page. Facebook Ads are targeted to people based on information they have added to their profiles, such as interests and demographics. Facebook Ads cannot be targeted on private information, such as Chat and Messages. And Facebook, of course, doesn’t share any personally identifiable information with advertisers.
CZ: Social Inbox analytics. Will relevant metrics (for e-mail, direct messages, SMS, chat) be available to marketers for their campaigns? If so, what kind of analytics/metrics? Please explain.
FB: Inbox analytics are not available to marketers at this time. Messages are private and Business Page owners can send messages to their Page fans, but only to one person at a time as before, and it will go to ‘other messages.’ But the recipient can move this message thread from ‘other messages’ to main part of Facebook Messages. People can also block senders if they don’t want to receive these.
CZ: Does the company plan on putting together an e-mail deliverability team of any kind?
FB: No. Facebook Messages is private and no information about messages is shared with advertisers.
