Despite people's tendency to overshare on social media, Facebook Beacon was a step too far. The product was a means for the site to track what users bought online, then share that information with advertisers so ads could target the user's preferences. However, it tracked online shopping habits even when users weren't logged on to Facebook, prompting a privacy outcry.
On Dec. 5, 2007, Mark Zuckerberg released a statement about Beacon, saying Facebook had "missed the right balance" when creating it. The feature was shut down soon after.
In order to encourage its millions of users to spend, Facebook created a virtual currency called “Facebook Credits.”
It was popularly used for Zynga games like FarmVille, which enabled users to spend money in order to earn virtual goods ($1 equalled 10 credits). The goal was grow Credits into a currency that could be used for an unlimited amount of online transactions, on par with companies like PayPal.
However, the feature didn't catch on, and closed in late 2012.
To compete with apps like Foursquare, Facebook created "Places," a location checkin feature for its mobile app that enabled people to share where they were.
People didn't quite take to it, so Facebook removed Places entirely, and just integrated location checkin into status updates.
In 2011, the social media site sought to compete with the likes of Groupon and LivingSocial by offering a new feature called "Deals." It sourced discounts offered by local businesses, and offered vouchers through Facebook Credits (which was still used at the time).
The product was launched and tested in five cities, but folded soon after.
September 2011 saw the launch of "Subscribe," a new means for users to follow public figures, or people who chose to make their Facebook profiles public, even if they weren't friends.
However, in December 2012, Facebook rebranded Subscribe to "Follow."
The ultimate flashback: Facebook launched “On This Day” in 2011. The feature showed users statuses they had posted years ago. It was a blast from the past that fed you fun facts about your own life. Remember what you were doing today, two years ago? Facebook does.
Sadly, after testing out the feature, Facebook never gave it a full rollout, even after revisiting the idea in 2013. (But you can still easily grow through past statuses by navigating your Timeline.)
One of Facebook's many ad products was Sponsored Stories. If one of your friends liked or commented about a business, that business could use his comment and image for a sponsored ad.
However, users weren't asked for permission before their images were used, which resulted in a lawsuit and a $20 million settlement.
Now, when businesses post ads on Facebook, you can see which of your friends has "liked" a certain product's page.
The network plans to eliminate the Sponsored Stories program all together in April, according to a recent report.
In 2012, Facebook tested an ad program called "Offers."Advertisers could offer users deals and coupons to be redeemed on the site for free. Like Deals, the product didn't take off, and was eliminated a year later.
Beginning in 2010, Facebook users could ask "questions" as part of their status updates, to be posted on their News Feeds. Facebook decided to heavily roll back the product, which functioned like a public poll. Now you can only ask questions within Groups.
Once upon a time, you could send real, physical gifts to a friend via Facebook. Yup, Facebook Gifts was a marketplace where you could shop for presents, such as candy, cookies and stuffed animals. In 2013, the social site killed the physical aspect of Gifts, because 80% of people only used it to send electronic gift cards.
Facebook has had a lot of ups and downs.
Over its past 10 years, the company has launched a slew of products and features to enhance the overall user experience, and tap into other areas of life besides status updates and photo sharing. Products like Facebook Beacon, Deals and Credit were created, all in an attempt to take the site to the next level of web domination.
See also: 8 Brutally Honest Facebook Notifications That Need to Exist Now
Wait, never heard of them? That's because they ultimately failed. Here's a list of 10 Facebook products and features that launched but never managed to take off.
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