Facebook lite

...So we don't know much about facebook lite just yet, but according to techcrunch:

"...Facebook Lite has nothing to do with Twitter or FriendFeed — at least, not right now. Instead, it was designed to be used in parts of the world where broadband speeds vary and can be expensive, we’re being told by Facebook. Given that the initial testing of it has taken place in India over the past several days, this makes sense."

http://bit.ly/11ZXLg

Lots of places in the world have wretched internet access. For a taster on the troubles of wiring up Africa, for example, read this from Wired.co.uk:

http://bit.ly/XAozK

Short version: in the developing world, the connectivity isn't improving at the same rate that the user base is growing.

So what we have here is a bit of a Mohammed/Mountain situation. What's easier to move? The connectivity, or the sites at the other end of the connectivity? Short term at least, it's the sites.

And do bear in mind that, along with the rich of the developing world, very poor people collectively have a fairly substantial amount of money, so are more commercially viable a target market than you may think.

Here's the point: This is good for people. I assume the market being catered to is rich, but it will benefit poor people too.

Example: consider, just for a moment, refugees.

Consider a woman who has made her way from unsafe African nation A to slightly safer nation B. She got split up from her husband and kids. She doesn't know where they are, or if they're safe. She could easily spend months - or more - looking for them, without even knowing she was going in the right direction.

Access to facebook would change this woman's life.

Of course facebook lite wasn't designed to help displaced people. That doesn't mean it won't, though. I am thrilled about facebook lite, because (ever the optimist, me) it might - might - herald the start of Western web design optimised for use in the developing world. And that would do amazing, amazing things.

Facebook: bravo.