Tales From the Digital Side

I’m really fed up with Facebook. I really hate the new design changes they made this week, even more than the design changes they made during the Fall of 2008. I’m wondering if they are simply trying to become Twitter, as every change brings them closer and closer to Twitter’s overall concept.

But why? Facebook isn’t Twitter. I did not create a profile there to stream content, the way that I did with Twitter. I’m on Facebook to connect with my friends. Unlike many in my profession, I’m really on Facebook to keep in contact with the people I care about. I actually don’t care that much about using Facebook for professional purposes or to build “my person brand” and stream content. I do that to some extent, but it isn’t that important to me.

Therefore, I resent that Facebook has made their system less useful for communication and has decided to focus on streaming. Here are many of the issues with the recent updates:

1. No longer lists my latest update on the home page. Huh? If I can post from the home page, I should be able to review my last post from the home page.

2. Less control over the Newsfeed. If you love someone, you must accept them as they are, even their use of crappy applications? Somehow Piece of Flair and Peeps – two of the most annoying applications are a part of my newsfeed and I cannot get rid of them. I used to be able to show less of an application. If I don’t want to see them, I have to hide the person who is doing it. It isn’t the friend I want less of, just the application.

3. You cannot just filter to see status updates. Status updates are the most important thing too me. I want to know what my friends are up to. I don’t care about all the business news that people are streaming. I read the trades, I don’t need you to post it to Facebook for me.

4. What is up with the right side? Highlights – I don’t even know what they are doing with this. Seems to consist of an ad and random photo posts and applications that don’t update. Also now includes Piece of Flair and Peeps (I’m assuming they paid for this placement). Seems to be info that does not change regularly and is therefore cluttering the page, making it more visually overwhelming.

5. My profile page now has no visual cues to separate items. My status updates and your posts to my wall are treated exactly the same. I think this sucks. My profile is about me, not you – I think I should get some credit for that which is mine.

6. Personal communication is reduced. The new design launched in late 2008 reduced wall posting. They are actually decreasing the amount of personal communication in an effort to increase mass communication (comments on statuses). More streaming nonsense.

I think this is a failure in product management. Good PM always listens to the user, and it seems that millions (2.65 million in one group) hate the new facebook. Frankly if they rolled back to what they had in early 2008, they would have much more growth and a happier user base.

The more I use it, the more I hate it, so there may be some follow up posts. Basically, if Twitter adds the ability to post photos with a thumbnail and host them on Twitter instead of Twitpic – I may just try to get all my friends to move there. I’m beginning to get very annoyed with Facebook’s vision and it’s contradiction to my needs. They can chase Twitter all they want, but they will end up losing out on being the system that really connects you with your friends.

And before you accuse me of being resistant to change… I am all for progress. Progress is awesome and I applaud it, but change is not the same thing as progress. Facebook’s latest update is change, not progress.