As I look at the growth of Facebook I am amazed at what they are doing. Everywhere you look there they they are.

Whether it is t.v., radio, in print or as you drive down the road on billboards you are sure to see it…. “Find us on Facebook” — facebook.com/MyOrganization.

It’s the new call to attention.

It reminds me a lot of when you saw AOL keywords everywhere. Wait… AOL?!?!? Who are they? Are they still around?

Now before you get all up and arms and start talking to me about how AOL continues to be relevant (or not), I know they are still around. But are they still what they once were? Are they still the center of your Internet life?

Back a number of years ago if you wanted to go online you were dialing into AOL. If you want to chat with people in a community setting you did it in AOL chat-room. If you were shopping or looking for information you used AOL keywords to find it… sound a lot like someone else?

Now you may not be dialing into the Internet anymore, but are you logging into sites across the web via Facebook Connect? If you are looking to find out what your friends are doing or what the plan is for this weekend aren’t you likely to check your News feed to see what’s going on or check-in with Places to see where everyone is? And that Facebook Like button is changing everything. It’s point you to all the goods, services and information that you need… it’s as easy as a keyword.

As HubSpot points out “Facebook is a platform not just a social network“, it may be that platform that distinguishes Facebook from AOL for the long haul. The fact that the “a ha” moment I had with a colleague was when I said Facebook Connect was like LDAP for the Internet. It may be the very thing that carries them forward in the battle for identity and our digital souls.

If there is one thing that time and the Internet has taught me is that what is here today is gone tomorrow. That the big boys now will be pushed a side in favor of the next big thing and that just because you look to be the top dog now doesn’t mean that change isn’t just around the corner.

Just something to think about.