If you were really my friend, you would buy something

Facebook is taking a more serious step towards e-commerce with a program called Market Lodge, developed by a startup called bSocial Networks Inc.

Facebook users would use Market Lodge to build an online store where they would recommend products from a catalogue to their friends. Then, bSocial will pay Facebook members a 10 per cent commission on all sales made on their recommendations.

That’s right: Those people you don’t remember from grade school who send messages asking to join your network aren’t just irritating losers anymore. They’re now salespeople. Which some might say is the same thing.