Remember the Facebook freakout?
By Michael Chatfield
Who remembers the old Facebook layout? Who remembers this guy?
Better yet, who remembers about a year ago when everyone, including me, totally freaked when the layout was upgraded to a more “intuitive, user-friendly” interface?
How did they know I would grow to love the new layout and eventually dismiss previous, technically-inferior layouts as Web 1.0 rubbish?
Well, they’re at it again.
And this time…(deep breath)… I trust them.
What are your thoughts on the proposed upgrades to Facebook?
Tags: Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media
March 6th, 2009 at 10:54 am
What I find giggle-inducing is that a Facebook layout change makes front page headlines.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Facebook is changing again!? Everybody panic!
Last time they changed the interface, Facebook was dragged over the coals for it.
But Facebook did an admirable job of not giving into a vocal minority disagreeing with what turned out to be a great idea. Social networking sites are a meritocracy of sorts, and if you don’t have the right blend of new features and familiarity you can be overtaken by the next new thing.
Facebook has done a decent job so far staying ahead of the curve, it will be interesting to see how this next change goes over.
I’m also interested to see if there will be a update to the iPhone app as well. The interface isn’t bad, but I get the feeling it could be better…
March 6th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I think it’s better to revise than try squeezing new things into an existing interface and overwhelm people. Site content and user needs are constantly changing, especially on a site this large, and the interface should be scaled and adjusted appropriately. They’re living things.
But facebook did slowly introduce the last new interface. They gave people months to get adjusted to it before switching everyone over. Maybe they’ll do that this time too.
Also, I remember when it was “TheFacebook.com”
March 6th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
The biggest facebook freakout is yet to come. That’ll occur when young Mr. Zuckerberg commits himself to running a for profit business. Will not be a good day for the “don’t try to make money off my socializing, and don’t even think about charging” set.
March 6th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I wonder how many people would keep their facebook if they were to start charging for its service. I don’t think I would, and I agree that there would be a huge freak out. I would be really interested to see what would come out of that though…like new social networking sites, the comments people have about having to pay, etc.
March 6th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Scott: Facebook is fantastic at satisfying user needs i never even knew i had. Very intuitive…a bit scary too.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I feel completely at ease with this update. Tools are more readily available right on the home page, no more switching pages. Also they are talking about new filtering tools. Can’t wait to use the new home page. Change can be good!