Transparency, fueled by blogs, Twitters and social networks, is the new mantra uttered by many in the tech business lately. But as more and more execs bare their souls for the world to see, the term "too much information" comes to mind. Sometimes what was supposed to be cleansing transparency results in juicy market intel/leverage for one's competitors. These ideas came to mind recently as we watched a new Vator TV presentation by Friendster CEO Kent Lindstrom.
Now that the pioneering social network has been pummeled into near oblivion by Facebook and MySpace, even the company's top dog is willing to offer some probably too-candid remarks about the company's past and future. Lindstrom said, "When you see anything working, follow it as far and as quickly as you can. Uhm, we didn't even get to that stage because we were having trouble following other technology." Adding to the indignity, just underneath the presentation, Vator TV posted a Nielsen/NetRatings graphic showing the top 12 social networks in the U.S. ... and Friendster isn't listed in the chart. See the full video presentation here...
Update 8/24: It appears that Vator.TV has pulled the video, apparently in response to complaints from Friendster's public relations team, who felt that the clip, and our quote above, was being taken out of context. Of course, with the video gone, there's no way for the public to verify that claim. Did we hit a nerve? Let us know in the comments!
