Big Announcement: BYC & Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook Partnership - BeakBook - April fool's 2013

[Nifty-Chicken]

​

This is some amazing news that has been in the works for the past 7 months. We’re excited to finally announce it to our community!!!

Starting today, BYC will be partnering directly with Facebook’s very own Founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, to help establish the idea of raising backyard chickens to the same level as raising a dog or cat.





Some Background:


About two years ago, news broke that Mark Zuckerberg, the founder / CEO of Facebook, had decided to only eat animals that he, himself, had killed. For more details on this, see here: http://mashable.com/2011/05/27/mark-zuckerberg-eats-kills/

We’re not sure, but we suspect that some of Mark’s earlier experiences with chickens (if you’ve seen the movie “The Social Network” about the creation of Facebook you’ll know to what we’re referring) have helped shape some of his views and ideas on raising chickens.

Because of these and many other factors, Mark has become even more familiar with the many benefits of raising backyard chickens and is a huge proponent of the growing trend. With last year’s IPO of Facebook and the company being flushed with cash, Mark knew it was time to really put some resources behind some very worthy causes. He first stumbled on our huge BYC Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/raisingbackyardchickens) and then found our community here on BYC. Mark was impressed by the amazing group of individuals we have here and the incredible passion our members have for the proper care of backyard chickens.

Around July of last year, we were contacted by Mark and have since been working quietly together to find ways to really promote chickens as “the new dog”.

(Note: we hope that the presence of pictures on the internet of Mark holding a chicken precariously does not detract from his desire to show his support of this movement: https://www.google.com/search?q=mark+zuckerberg+chicken )

The Plan:


The specific details of the new partnership are still being worked out, but we have a few ideas on how we’ll be able to bring raising backyard chickens fully into the mainstream. One of the most exciting ideas that came together during a late night brainstorming session was a mashup of BYC and Facebook called “BeakBook”. Again, the details are still being ironed out, and we can’t share too much information because new and potentially HUGE game-changing ideas are so quickly stolen and copied on the internet… but expect “BeakBook” to be core to the execution of our strategy!

We’re sorry we can’t share more details with you all, but we felt it was more important to share this wonderful news sooner than later, especially so we can get your ideas and feedback.
Here’s what we need from you, reply with:

1. What do you think about this new partnership?
2. Do you “Like” our Facebook Page with over 43,000 likes?
3. How do you like the name “BeakBook”
4. If you were going to combine the best of FaceBook and the best of BYC, what would you like to see?
5. What other ideas do you have to help get the idea of raising backyard chickens even more solidified in the consciousness of the general public?

We look forward to your thoughts, ideas, and comments!

• 2007 - BYC Expanding - BackYardCows.com
• 2008 - BYC Hacked!
• 2009 - Server Upgrade Good News / Bad News: Post Counts Lost
• 2010 - New BYC Store Product - The EggCell!
• 2011 - NEW BYC Program & Partnership - Sell Your Extra Eggs!
• 2012 - New Forum Section - Exotic Backyard Animals
• 2013 - Big Announcement: BYC & Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook Partnership - BeakBook

 

[Wisher1000]

I love BYC the way it is and I DON'T WANT IT TO CHANGE.

Click the thumbs up on this post if you agree and let's send Nifty a message...

DON'T MESS WITH OUR
BACKYARD CHICKENS!

(or with us!)

 

[huntinwidow]

People, wake up! It is April fools day. You are being punked. Beakbook? Really?

 

[wolftracks]

1. What do you think about this new partnership? Well I'm not one of his fans and I know he's reading this, so he'll probably drop my FB account.
2. Do you “Like” our Facebook Page with over 43,000 likes? It's ok, but I visit here all the time and even when I'm on FB, which is daily, I don't visit the page.
3. How do you like the name “BeakBook” Sounds like a Harry Potter character!!! Who came up with that one????????????
4. If you were going to combine the best of FaceBook and the best of BYC, what would you like to see? The FB part gone
5. What other ideas do you have to help get the idea of raising backyard chickens even more solidified in the consciousness of the general public? I say use the money from Gold Feather and Platinum and make some TV commercials. Get some news media envolved. Anything but FB. Geez they have a monopoly on everything.

 

[eggorthechicken]

I dont like FB at all.....been there done that and I never have regretted cancelling it. I like the way BYC is set up now.

 

[wolftracks]

Ya know, if you aren't friends with someone on FB, you have to pay a buck to pm them. A buck! Are you kidding me???? I can pm anyone on here!!!

Rob! I know he's famous and rich and has some clout, but just cause he can process his own food, doesn't mean he's good for BYC! He'll take over and BYC will be gone forever.

Maybe a better name for it would be ..........PLUCKED! Cause his buck a pm will be pulling money out of pockets. Imagine how much he'd make with just one person selling eggs and not friends with other members. I sure won't be buying anything.

 

[chickenzoo]

.I d see.good and bad issues, but I'm sure since everyone.working on this project are chicken enthusiast then they will try to keep everyone's needs in mind. I honestly am not on BYC as much as I use to be after the last change...still don't understand how to use some of the features. ....don't like some of the changes, but its a good community.
I personally would call it FeatherBook

 

[Reurra]

If anyone remembers the DIG website...they lost a huge amount of members when they started making drastic changes. Im not saying the changes are all bad, but I hope we wont be swarmed with ads, griefers, and required to have a paid membership to enjoy what we already have here. I like the quiet community we have, and i refer all my friends here.

I dont do facebook. I hope BYC does not become facebook.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

A chicken in every yard!!!

How could I sell my eggs then? The money coming in from me selling eggs is one of the main causes for me being able to keep them.
It would be very hard for me to keep my chickens if everyone had their own chickens.

I'm sorry but I Like BYC how it is now. It is already very good. Facebook is a very very BIG site, with MANY different kinds of people. There are also some, for use of a better word some "creepy" people on there, this would open BYC upto all of this. I am not saying BYC has some of those people on it, every site does but it just opens BYC upto to more of all that. Also much more maintenance and updates would be needed, that means....less time on BYC, which no one wants.lol.
Facebook is also open up to many other sites which BYC would then be exposed to.

I hope I'm not the only one who thinks it isn't the best idea and that I'm not being party pooper.

 

[Overoberyl]

There is absolutely NO way that a BYC/Facebook mashup would be able to maintain the "cordial and friendly tone" that the BYC mods enforce here. One of the things I like about BYC is that it's NOT facebook!! That you can actually FIND information, that BYC does not decide what threads I see and what threads I don't see - while facebook decides what's important enough to show up on my news feed and what isn't (SO annoying!). BYC is an incredible resource, making it more like facebook will ruin that completely. BYC doesn't need facebook to grow, it has grown enough organically and will continue to do so with the ever increasing popularity of the backyard chicken. Don't be waylaid by dollar signs guys, once you partner with a force like facebook, your autonomy and decision making ability as a company will cease to exist, and so will BYC as we know it...

Please, say it ain't SO!!