Given the rise in the social and viral aspects of the Web 2.0 movement (concept, effect, trend…) it is not surprising that Wal-Mart contracted with Facebook to create a sponsored group for dorm-room style called “Wal-Mart Roommate Style Match.” After all, what could be worse than mismatched comforters? For a generation of students who will most likely meet their roommates on Facebook before they meet in person and have the opportunity to fight for top bunk, a collaborative shopping cart seems like a good solution.

But the social web can be a unruly place, and unfortunately for Wal-Mart, Facebook groups come with a wall where users can post comments. And these comments don’t have to be nice. Computerworld ran an article that was quickly picked up by Slashdot, highlighting the reaction to the group captured on its wall. Apparently none of the posts are talking about dorm room styling.

One post, signed by Janine Carmona, wrote that “Facebook should take the number of negative comments on this page as a note that we don’t support this company [for] its use of a space for social networking. This space is for people talking to other people. Facebook, get your priorities straight.”

But to expect the content of the wall to remain consistent is to sell the whole notion of Web 2.0 a bit short. While the Computerworld article focused on the negative comments against Wal-Mart, and whole new crop of comments are emerging. As if enacting the principles of Agile Programming and rapid application change, the Facebook wall is now filled with reactions to the anti-Wal-Mart comments.

Matthew at Purdue writes:

This is not the place to post your dissatisfaction with Wal-Mart. If you really hate Wal-Mart so much don’t buy from them and advise others to do the same. No point in trying to screw up what seems to be a decent idea.

While Paul at the University of Connecticut says:

The reason why Wal-Mart is successful is because they sell many products for good prices, and because no matter what you elitist idealists say, to most Americans and pretty much everyone else, money is pretty damn important if not the most important thing.

The push-back to the push-back is interesting. Facebook, which thrives on its comparatively structured approach to social networking, might have just become the latest battleground for an embattled Wal-Mart PR team. But given the effect that class is having on this Facebook-wall-mediated discussion, I am left wondering what would have happened if they had launched this application on MySpace? Perhaps they would have sold more comforters.