Facebook goes after Yelp with its latest Marketplace update
Facebook may be facing more questions than ever about whether it's too powerful, but the company isn't letting that stop them from expanding into new areas.
Today, the company introduced a new feature that lets you shop for handymen, house cleaners, plumbers, and other "home services" directly from Facebook's Marketplace.
Expected to roll out in the U.S over the "coming weeks," the feature lets you shop for services and chat directly with the businesses or individuals about the work you need to get done. Like other Marketplace expansions, the new hotline to household maintenance is enabled by partnerships with third parties, in this case Porch, Handy, and HomeAdvisor.
Facebook says these partnerships ensure the service providers have been vetted and properly accredited. Still skeptical? Marketplace will also surface relevant reviews for each service.
The idea is similar to previous Marketplace expansions, like its housing rental feature, which lets you apartment shop on Marketplace. But if that feature made Marketplace more like Craigslist, the latest update makes it more competitive with Angie's List.
Though this is obviously not the first time Facebook has offered services through Marketplace, the move comes at a time when the social network is facing increased scrutiny, in large part over whether its platform has gotten too big. On Monday, European lawmakers had sharp questions for CEO Mark Zuckerberg about whether or not Facebook's massive platform constitutes a monopoly. U.S. officials have recently raised similar questions.
But if Facebook is concerned about these issues, it isn't showing, as the company has continued to introduce new features at a steady clip over the past few months. Zuckerberg himself has made clear that's exactly the plan as he believes the company has "a responsibility to keep moving forward" regardless of what the regulators say.
Claiming that these new features are also part of some overarching "responsibility" also helps give the company some cover as it justifies taking aim at more competitors (sorry, Yelp).
Is Facebook too big? No, of course not -- the company just wants to help you fix your house.
Topics Facebook Social Media
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
