Are you solving a real pain? Old-school versus New-school

My last two posts talked about product differentiation and the importance of having a product family.  Now, I want to briefly discuss whether your product has merit.  Old school says:  "Is your product a painkiller or a vitamin?"  It certainly is nice if your product truly solves a pain in the market you're pursuing, but with all of the social networking websites out there these days, I have to ask if these really are solving a pain, or are they just darn fun.  Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, SCVNGR, Zynga, etc.  Are they solving a pain?  I don't think so.  Even Betty White said Facebook is a complete waste of time (lol).  My point here is that if you are told (or you admit to yourself) that your product isn't a painkiller, perhaps there's still some merit if you have a unique twist, or a particular approach, or something that the market will embrace.  So, perhaps the other old-school saying is still the best question to ask:  "Will the dogs eat the dog food?"