GM Has Facebook Envy -- and a Lot of Nerve

Second, Facebook does not have to be "effective" as an outlet for advertising in the traditional sense of the word. Chances are GM dealers are not going to have many customers walk into a showroom, sign on the line that is dotted for a new truck and note that Facebook referred me. It does not work that way. Facebook will not directly sell a big ticket item like a car for you. If you need them to, it's doubly obvious that you just do not get it.

Ford(F) spokesmen Scott Monty honked the horn square on the steering wheel when he said: You just can't buy your way into Facebook. You need to have a credible presence and be doing innovative things.

Individuals build their brands on Facebook every minute of every day. Your life could suck as bad as a Chevy, but nobody would know it. You use Facebook to craft the identity you wish reflected the real you. You're not selling anything. Your putting together the portrait you want to put in your "friends'" minds' eye when they think of you.

If GM really thought Facebook is not effective, it would have saved a few million dollars more and pulled its page from the Web site. It did not do that, though. GM needs Facebook more than Facebook needs GM. The stodgy old company simply made a feeble attempt to prove a completely insignificant point. Facebook is overvalued. It's too big for its britches. Zuckerberg should start wearing a tie again. Whatever.