Be right back.The Social Network · 2010 — Chapter 6 of 23 · 2'08" · B2
Mark Pitches the Facebook Idea, Explained: in a stampede
Mark pulls Eduardo aside to explain his new idea: Facemash worked because people want to look up friends, not strangers. He proposes putting the whole college social experience online, with profiles and photos. He sells it as an exclusive club — "it's like a final club, except we're the president."
What happens
At a party, Mark tells Eduardo he has thought of something. Outside, he explains why Facemash spread so fast: people wanted to see girls they actually knew. He proposes building a site that puts college social life online, and compares it to an exclusive club.
Listen for
come up withride that horsein a stampedepsyched about
00:00 / 02:08Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
in a stampede
In a rushing crowd
Mark 回忆说 People came to Facemash in a stampede，形容用户像受惊的牲口般涌入。
Fans ran in a stampede when the gates opened.
Also in this scene
- come up with
Think of an idea or solution
- ride that horse
Keep riding a current advantage or story
- psyched about
Very excited about
- nothing to do with
No connection at all
Everything marked in this scene
25 notes across 44 lines
Think of an idea or solution
I think I've come up with something.flap
I think I've come up with something.Hang on. I gotta tell you something that you're not gonna believe.I got punched by the Phoenix.I mean, it's just the first of a four-step process,but they slid the invitation under my door tonight.Yeah, but, you know, it was probably just a diversity thing.Keep riding a current advantage or story
It was just a diversity thing. Just ride that horse until...It was just a diversity thing. Just ride that horse until...I can't stare at that loop of Niagara Falls, which has absolutely nothing to do with the Caribbean.In a rushing crowd
People came to Facemash in a stampede, right?because focus: The because-clause carries the whole insight.
It was because they saw pictures of girls that they knew.People want to go on the Internet and check out their friends,so why not build a website that offers that?why not for suggestion: why not frames a suggestion as a question.
so why not build a website that offers that?But I'm not talking about a dating site.I'm totally psyched about this, too. But, Wardo?I'm totally psyched about this, too. But, Wardo?You would have to know the people on the site to get past your own page.Like getting punched.elision
Like getting punched.Wardo, it's like a final club, except we're the president.except-clause: The except-clause flips the comparison into a power claim.
Wardo, it's like a final club, except we're the president.liaison
Wardo, it's like a final club, except we're the president.Mark Pitches the Facebook Idea, explained
What's really going on
The scene is where an idea becomes a company. Mark's insight is not technological but social: Facemash drew a crowd for the same reason anything works on campus — people want to look at people they know. That leads him to the founding pitch, "taking the entire social experience of college and putting it online," and to the comparison that says everything about him: "it's like a final club, except we're the president." He is not just building a tool; he is building a way to belong on his own terms. Eduardo's enthusiasm is real, but the line already shows who will hold the power.
Theme
AmbitionMark turns a campus insight into a product pitch, aiming to put all of college social life online.
PowerHe frames the site as an exclusive club run by him, hinting at who will control it.
Listen for
- come up with — flap
- Like getting punched — elision
- except we're the president — liaison
Wardo, it's like a final club, except we're the president.The pitch in one image: the same exclusivity as an old campus club, but with Mark and Eduardo on top instead of being judged by it.
It was because they saw pictures of girls that they knew.The insight behind Facebook: familiarity, not beauty, is what draws people online.
People came to Facemash in a stampede, right?A vivid description of the rush to the site, used as proof that something big is happening.
I'm talking about taking the entire social experience of college and putting it online.The founding statement: not a dating site, but the whole social world of campus rebuilt on the web.
Questions about this scene
What is Mark's idea in this scene?
To build a site that puts the whole college social experience online — friends, photos, profiles — not just a place to look at strangers or date.
Why did Facemash attract so many people?
Because users saw photos of girls they actually knew. Mark argues that people go online to check out their friends, which is the seed of the new site.
What does the final club comparison mean?
It comes from Harvard's exclusive clubs. Mark says the site will feel that selective, but this time he and Eduardo will be the ones in charge, not the ones being judged.
Who is Wardo?
Wardo is Eduardo Saverin, Mark's friend and later business partner. In this scene he listens to the idea and gets excited about it.
The Social Network · 23 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7off the recordEduardo's Deposition Turns on Emails
Chapter 1speak in codeErica Dumps Mark at the Bar
Chapter 2take my mind offMark Builds Facemash
Chapter 3an awful lot ofMark Crashes Harvard's Network
Chapter 4make an example out ofZuckerberg Faces the Ad Board
Chapter 5a no-brainerWinklevoss Twins Pitch Their Site
Watching · Chapter 6in a stampedeMark Pitches the Facebook Idea
Chapter 7off the recordEduardo's Deposition Turns on Emails
Chapter 8bounce aroundFacebook Launches Relationship Status
Chapter 9give someone the fingerThe Winklevosses Debate Suing Mark
Chapter 10Facebook meEduardo Recalls Facebook's Launch
Chapter 11monetizeMark and Eduardo Argue About Money
Chapter 12the minimum amountMark Answers with Minimum Attention
Chapter 13written in inkErica Confronts Mark Over the Internet
Chapter 14the shoe's on the other footSean Parker Wakes Up at Stanford
Chapter 15make that callThe Winklevosses Meet President Summers
Chapter 16a dog in this fightSean Parker Wins Over Mark
Chapter 17stir the potEduardo's Chicken Deposition Story
Chapter 18once-in-a-generationSean Parker Meets Mark in Palo Alto
Chapter 19at our disposalThe Winklevosses Decide to Sue Mark
Chapter 20get left behindEduardo Confronts Mark Over Sean
Chapter 21let bygones be bygonesEduardo Freezes the Company Account
Chapter 22in all honestyEduardo Signs Away His Shares
Chapter 23lawyer upMark Dismantles Eduardo at FacebookChapter 6 of 23 · about 54 min to go