So apparently there are two new tags that have been added to the FBML. One is fb:18-plus and the other is fb-21-plus. The two new tags enable developers to limit specific content to those users that are over 21 and over 18, respectively. My initial reaction was that this has to be fake but after poking around the history of each of the wiki pages I noticed that Pete Bratach of Facebook had modified the page.
This is a massive move for Facebook and could be one of the most controversial moves. Start looking for gambling and porn to become prevalent on the site. That will be great: Nick O’Neill has just installed the “Top 10 Porn Movies” application. That is the last thing that I want showing up in my newsfeed. This is an incredible development to be honest and I am completely surprised to see Facebook enter this space.
Facebook has never been one to stray far from controversy though. I have personally received a number of complaints from Facebook users stating that they didn’t like that their children were exposed to gambling applications. It now appears that they will no longer need to worry about that thanks to the new fb:18-plus and fb:21-plus tags! I never thought I’d live to see this one. Thanks to Jesse Stay for pointing this one out to me.
Update
One person I spoke with suggested that this could be related to Facebook’s new payment system. You must be 18 to make purchases and 21 to make purchases of alcohol perhaps. I still think this is fishy. I have pinged Facbeook’s PR for more details and am still waiting on a response.
Update 2
I spoke with Caroline McCarthy tonight and she brought up a great point about these new tags. She suggested that the tags would be used to enable both alcohol companies as well as Army recruiters to advertise on the site. The new tags would provide comfort for the advertisers that don’t want their ads displayed on younger users’ profiles. The 21 plus could be use for gambling where it is legitimate in some parts of the world. Given that Facebook’s primary focus is monetization, this makes a lot of sense.
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Couldn't this be related to the sharing of information of people under 18, or 21 in countries that so opt?
Comment by Jonathan Kleiman — February 6, 2008 @ 4:42 pm
Well this has to do with limiting content that's displayed. Applications are not allowed in any way to share personally identifiable information obtained from any application as it is.
Comment by Nick O'Neill — February 6, 2008 @ 4:58 pm
they can share people's pictures though, right?
Comment by Jonathan Kleiman — February 6, 2008 @ 5:03 pm
Couldn't this be related to the sharing of information of people under 18, or 21 in countries that so opt?
Comment by Jonathan Kleiman — February 6, 2008 @ 5:42 pm
Well this has to do with limiting content that's displayed. Applications are not allowed in any way to share personally identifiable information obtained from any application as it is.
Comment by Nick O'Neill — February 6, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
I would bet anxious advertisers had requested those changes. While it's not very well known, numerous industries [outside of the vices you mention] adhere to strict age limitations on messaging to minors. Think pharma, food service, political interests… When advertisers know for certain that their content will only display to 18+ or 21+ profiles, they won't need to jump through as many legal hoops or fine print when presenting the messages.
Comment by Nick Huhn — February 6, 2008 @ 6:02 pm
they can share people's pictures though, right?
Comment by Jonathan Kleiman — February 6, 2008 @ 6:03 pm
I would bet anxious advertisers had requested those changes. While it's not very well known, numerous industries [outside of the vices you mention] adhere to strict age limitations on messaging to minors. Think pharma, food service, political interests…
When advertisers know for certain that their content will only display to 18+ or 21+ profiles, they won't need to jump through as many legal hoops or fine print when presenting the messages.
Comment by Nick Huhn — February 6, 2008 @ 7:02 pm
Don't forget about the fb:65-plus tag that will be used to advertise the hottest places to play bingo.
Comment by Chris Auer — February 6, 2008 @ 7:17 pm
Cmon buddy, obviously they werent getting into porn and you of all people shouldve been able to decipher that it was either for advertisers or it's new payment system…exactly what I thought when reading your post.Dont walk the same blog path as Perez Hilton.I also posted on Facebooks payment system and social payments in general on my site today.
Comment by Marc — February 6, 2008 @ 7:47 pm
Don't forget about the fb:65-plus tag that will be used to advertise the hottest places to play bingo.
Comment by Chris Auer — February 6, 2008 @ 8:17 pm
Cmon buddy, obviously they werent getting into porn and you of all people shouldve been able to decipher that it was either for advertisers or it's new payment system…exactly what I thought when reading your post.
Dont walk the same blog path as Perez Hilton.
I also posted on Facebooks payment system and social payments in general on my site today.
Comment by Marc — February 6, 2008 @ 8:47 pm
Guys, Seriously, this is a great thing. Why are you so surprised and shocked? having 18/21 tags is great for industries that want to advertise on social media sites like Facebook, but cannot because of the age targeting. Go Facebook!
Comment by James Golan — February 7, 2008 @ 3:10 am
Guys,
Seriously, this is a great thing. Why are you so surprised and shocked?
having 18/21 tags is great for industries that want to advertise on social media sites like Facebook, but cannot because of the age targeting.
Go Facebook!
Comment by James Golan — February 7, 2008 @ 4:10 am
hehe i don't see what the big deal is
Comment by facebook porn — May 14, 2009 @ 1:21 am
hey there is no big deal.
Comment by darkangel66689 — February 11, 2010 @ 6:44 am
i was surfin for porn and this site was partially linked to facebook….. guess there's a REASON the company has turned into a multi-billian dollar business in just 6 years.. GOOD FOR THEM
Comment by hmmmm — October 2, 2010 @ 12:18 am
had a big night
Comment by wayne rosowski — November 18, 2010 @ 11:48 am