A new way to make cash off your Facebook friends
A new Facebook application created by bSocial Networks could make Facebook members into surrogate salespeople, giving them a 10 percent commission each time one of their friends purchases a product or service they recommend.
The Market Lodge so far has a catalog of more than 1,200 products available from 50 different merchants, from companies including Aurora Nova Skin Care, Inner Waves Organics, Oona Sara Designs, White Swan and Holistic Pet. At least 100 people are now testing the service that quietly launched last week.
"Market Lodge will move social networks to a true 'social commerce' model where members are buying and selling products based on their trusted friends' recommendations," states a bSocial Networks FAQ today. "Study after study has proven that user-generated content plays a very important role in helping consumers make online purchase decisions; and the social bond of trust between members of social networks enhances the opportunity for C2C commerce."
Facebook Market Lodge users are able to control what products are shown and when, and can invite friends to come and see which products they are recommending.
All credit card transactions and commissions will be handled through PayPal. While users get a 10% commission on each product sold, bSocial Networks will receive between 35% and 50%, and retailers will get the remaining money. Facebook isn't receiving a portion of the commission, but it's plausible bSocial Networks will pay Facebook if enough people begin to use Market Lodge.
Facebook has traditionally been a social networking site where people have been able to meet up and chat over a friendly game of Scrabble or Scramble (assuming the copyright mess is all worked out), but only now is its true potential being realized as a marketplace for products. With more than 15,000 applications available, many created by other Facebook users, most are either free services or games. So success by Market Lodge could help usher in a new wave of online stores and similar services to Facebook.
bSocial Networks plans to port Market Lodge to other social networks in the future, but hasn't announced which ones or what timeframe.