Of course, because facebook has 100 million users...30 million are active, the rest are not active or tried to delete...And since facebook is the epitome of closed off walled gardens (which to this day amazes me bloggers support them so much considering they operate against everything a tech savvy person cherishes like transparency, openness, and interoperability), could not get out.
So their you go, 60 million inactive users (hey I am one of the deactivated users, just zero value in facebook. I found some friends, played some games, then got bored because they offer no real service).
Simple really, bloggers should questions facebook a little and just not except everything they say. A little journalism goes a long way.
Adam Ostrow
· 1 year ago
Actually, Facebook defines their 100 million as "active" users. Sorry.
Brian Sherwin @ Myartspace
· 1 year ago
Jack, I think it is safe to say that most of the top websites have millions and millions of dead accounts. I did not know that Facebook accounts can be hard to delete though. That seems to have become a common tactic with websites that are focused on membership numbers.
Kawika Holbrook
· 1 year ago
Facebook would do well to create a video showing how to accomplish the same tasks the old way and new way side-by-side. Part of my job is to help train clients to use social media and social networking services. Without exception, everyone has at least one gripe about the challenge of completing a simple task. Facebook, in my opinion, is STILL too cluttered with similar functions in different areas. We'll see, though, whether they can weather the inevitable storm that accompanies any major change in workflow.
Pete
· 1 year ago
Kawika,
Love that idea. But frankly, I have no idea why *anyone* would want to revert to the old Facebook - the new one is many times cleaner, more intuitive and faster loading.
*Of course* a few users are going to react negatively, but you've got to remember that a few vocal opponents can appear to drown out a majority of contented users.
Happy users don't make headlines; the new Facebook is awesome.
Nicholas Tolson
· 1 year ago
Agreed 100%. I think people just like to be contrary.
Stuart | Designmeme
· 1 year ago
On the old Facebook you'd visit someone's profile and see the RSS feed applications they might have added to pull in content from their other sites.
On the new Facebook those things aren't there anymore.
Adam Zand
· 1 year ago
Teh easy answer is people don't like change - well, except for our current US political discourse and promises. I have some friends who are signing petitions to keep it old. I don't have a strong feeling on layout, but I'd be more suspicious of the advertising and tracking capabilities with the new platform.
For Facebook to keep the positive press in VC circles (valuation is up to what this week?!), they need to have a better mechanism for conversions and brand "fan" communications.
Are you guys feeling a similar sentiment about changes when it comes to MySpace. I spent a bit of time on it and still didn't feel a need to do much more than check my concert schedule.
Keep up the vanity looks at Facebook UI, but please keep the reporting eye on the ad revenue prize.
Kawika Holbrook
· 1 year ago
A co-worker versed in social media disagrees. She said just now: "The new Facebook design is too big. It has too many tabs. And it's too hard to find stuff."
Facebook's real challenge is the same as any other Web service or software app: Make information easy to find and tasks easy to complete. Perhaps, one day, Facebook will offer a wizard that says, in effect, "Here's a list of everything you can do here. Drag items in the order you find useful and we'll configure a start page with your needs in mind. Change it later however you want, because it's all about you."
As for me, I think the new version is superior, but they're not done simplifying. Their nomenclature is still obtuse ("Boxes," Wall-to-Wall"), confusing ("Updates" vs. "Notifications," "Profile" vs. "Your Name"), and redundant ("Facebook" and "Home" go to the same place), for example.
Pam
· 1 year ago
On people reacting negatively to the new Facebook.... uhh... time to read "Who Moved My Cheese?"
Wesley
· 8 months ago
Great book!
Leo
· 1 year ago
Yup it is the season change and so begins the new software development phase. Is there anything they have missed.
Ryan L. Cox
· 1 year ago
Pete,
Your first three points I can't disagree with at all. The new design is cleaner, more intuitive and faster loading. However the ease of the original design is where I think most people have the disconnect with. The argument I carry is that when doing a re-design there are always core utilities, locations or "flow sequences" that make your product extremely easy to use and even more addicting. My grip with the Facebook re-design is that they have lost the majority of those things in which I think allowed them to connect to such a larger mass of people. While the re-design fits perfectly for the "uber-users," it is just my humble opinion that they have changed too much of the original luster of Facebook. If you ask me for specific examples, I think integrating their feed to follow the "friend feed" model, moving apps to a different page, and moving user information to the second tab are the three biggest issues I see. Is the re-design cleaner, without a doubt. But I think there is a very good chance it might be too clean. One of the monumental advantages on the first design was that everyone was on one page. As an avid OCD "cleaner" in everything I do from my bathroom objects arrangement, to making lists for my lists, even I become a little frustrated with the re-design, and I was one of the first adopters.
Either way it's going to be difficult to get the other 60 million on board. Facebook is still the king though, I think this might just be the first chink in their armor.
Oh well, either way those are just my thoughts and opinions. Love Mashable, I've got your RSS feed. Look forward to eventually meeting you when our start-up makes our way to SF.
Calan
· 1 year ago
There is a group on Facebook that hate the new design and they have reached over 1 million members in almost no time at all.
To create some perspective, there is now also a group for those that love the new design. So if you're keen to help get the ball rolling, log in and join it.
I agree with Pete. The new Facebook is absolutely much better than the old layout. Have I mentioned the fact that apps don't clutter the landing page of a profile anymore?
But hopefully, this redesign won't cost Facebook many users, simply because of an issue as petty as not liking/not being able to figure out the new layout. The way I see it, any "trend" that rises does have to fall at some point, and that's when the "new thing" steps in. Just as Friendster (and Bebo, to an extent) were big and Myspace beat them out. If something as small as a redesign weakens Facebook's spot (especially if over half of their users are against the new design), I do wonder if this will be the time a startup of some sort will decide to make it's big break...
John Fitzgerald
· 1 year ago
I just tried the new Facebook and I think it's horribly slow. Although I always felt like Facebook was pretty slow. And what's the deal with email addresses. I have a number of them but can't get Facebook to recognize that fact. The site's a hassle.... my $0.02
Christopher Woods
· 1 year ago
In response to Kawika's earlier comment, and paraphrasing something I said earlier elsewhere, I think there's a communality between the majority of the Facebook users who are complaining and want the old-skool design back... I think they're the ones who'd have the horribly mangled Myspace profiles.
I vastly prefer the new Facebook layout - it's much more controlled than before. Some peoples' pages would go on for miles and miles, you'd be scrolling forever just to find their original Wall (because they'd added FunWall, Superwall etc, and the original wall was relegated right to the bottom of the page or sandwiched inbetween useless widgets).
In stark contrast, my widgets are still there and I can still access them (or add specific tabs for my favourite widgets), they've just been relegated to the sides of the stage - allowing the most important content, the actual interaction between users and the 'river' of updates, to take a position of prominence. I vastly prefer this new Facebook layout, and after I first tried it out (on its first soft launch, before they even offered the link to switch over at the top of the page)... Well, I never switched back to the old one.
Finally, Facebook once again has some semblance of control and maturity to it! That's why I prefer it to Myspace (nothing more than a messy, uncontrolled desert of a place imho) - with all the widgets and poorly designed addons, Facebook was rapidly becoming Myspace Mk. 2 ('now with more blue'), and that irritated me tremendously. I'm glad the designers decided to curb the hitherto-unbridled disorder that all those addins and Facebook apps were causing.
Christopher Woods
· 1 year ago
Flippin 'eck, the site didn't save my paragraphs along with my original comment.
I wonder why not? :/
Stephen James
· 1 year ago
I've been using the new interface for months now. I thought everyone was on it already.
ACD
· 1 year ago
At first I hated the new look and in some ways I still do. The real problem is with how they control the applications. I think people liked having certain applications up in front when people visited their profiles. Now the applications are stuck on a tab and the layout is kind of awkward.
Btw, WTH is going on with the HTTPS support. Anybody tried accessing the new Facebook with HTTPS? I either get an error page or I get the old-looking Facebook without applications. Talk about buggy and they want to roll this out in the next couple weeks. I certainly hope it all gets worked out soon, but then again who actually cares about security anyways right (sarcasm).
Sean Hanna
· 1 year ago
I have liked the new Facebook since like, Day 2. It's much easier to navigate and use. It's where I've become most community oriented and I hated it before.
I really don't understand why there is such a big uprising against the new Facebook. Really, there are so many more important things that could use that much rebellion and energy. Not the user interface for a free social site.
mandy candy
· 1 year ago
It's interesting that people are having such a massive response to the new facebook. I've asked all my friends and everyone hates it. People don't like change. The layout is more clean and it's understandable why facebook is changing their layout - people want change. Although facebook is the major player in social technologies, they must try to refresh themselves. People got bored of xanga and myspace, that's why they switched to facebook. With new websites like twitter, facebook is in a panic to renew themselves so users wouldn't get sick of them. However, with most people using facebook for over a year - they definitely don't want change - people don't want to change their "daily habit".
mc
Leo
· 1 year ago
While one can accept the necessity for product development I am not sure if they have got it right. With a larger percentage of their users being female. Is it really necessary to make this change? Possible you run the risk of alienating your biggest market. If it isn’t broke than why fix it?
All Comments
So their you go, 60 million inactive users (hey I am one of the deactivated users, just zero value in facebook. I found some friends, played some games, then got bored because they offer no real service).
Simple really, bloggers should questions facebook a little and just not except everything they say. A little journalism goes a long way.
Love that idea. But frankly, I have no idea why *anyone* would want to revert to the old Facebook - the new one is many times cleaner, more intuitive and faster loading.
*Of course* a few users are going to react negatively, but you've got to remember that a few vocal opponents can appear to drown out a majority of contented users.
Happy users don't make headlines; the new Facebook is awesome.
On the new Facebook those things aren't there anymore.
For Facebook to keep the positive press in VC circles (valuation is up to what this week?!), they need to have a better mechanism for conversions and brand "fan" communications.
Are you guys feeling a similar sentiment about changes when it comes to MySpace. I spent a bit of time on it and still didn't feel a need to do much more than check my concert schedule.
Keep up the vanity looks at Facebook UI, but please keep the reporting eye on the ad revenue prize.
Facebook's real challenge is the same as any other Web service or software app: Make information easy to find and tasks easy to complete. Perhaps, one day, Facebook will offer a wizard that says, in effect, "Here's a list of everything you can do here. Drag items in the order you find useful and we'll configure a start page with your needs in mind. Change it later however you want, because it's all about you."
As for me, I think the new version is superior, but they're not done simplifying. Their nomenclature is still obtuse ("Boxes," Wall-to-Wall"), confusing ("Updates" vs. "Notifications," "Profile" vs. "Your Name"), and redundant ("Facebook" and "Home" go to the same place), for example.
Your first three points I can't disagree with at all. The new design is cleaner, more intuitive and faster loading. However the ease of the original design is where I think most people have the disconnect with. The argument I carry is that when doing a re-design there are always core utilities, locations or "flow sequences" that make your product extremely easy to use and even more addicting. My grip with the Facebook re-design is that they have lost the majority of those things in which I think allowed them to connect to such a larger mass of people. While the re-design fits perfectly for the "uber-users," it is just my humble opinion that they have changed too much of the original luster of Facebook. If you ask me for specific examples, I think integrating their feed to follow the "friend feed" model, moving apps to a different page, and moving user information to the second tab are the three biggest issues I see. Is the re-design cleaner, without a doubt. But I think there is a very good chance it might be too clean. One of the monumental advantages on the first design was that everyone was on one page. As an avid OCD "cleaner" in everything I do from my bathroom objects arrangement, to making lists for my lists, even I become a little frustrated with the re-design, and I was one of the first adopters.
Either way it's going to be difficult to get the other 60 million on board. Facebook is still the king though, I think this might just be the first chink in their armor.
Oh well, either way those are just my thoughts and opinions. Love Mashable, I've got your RSS feed. Look forward to eventually meeting you when our start-up makes our way to SF.
To create some perspective, there is now also a group for those that love the new design. So if you're keen to help get the ball rolling, log in and join it.
http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=30519...
But hopefully, this redesign won't cost Facebook many users, simply because of an issue as petty as not liking/not being able to figure out the new layout. The way I see it, any "trend" that rises does have to fall at some point, and that's when the "new thing" steps in. Just as Friendster (and Bebo, to an extent) were big and Myspace beat them out. If something as small as a redesign weakens Facebook's spot (especially if over half of their users are against the new design), I do wonder if this will be the time a startup of some sort will decide to make it's big break...
I vastly prefer the new Facebook layout - it's much more controlled than before. Some peoples' pages would go on for miles and miles, you'd be scrolling forever just to find their original Wall (because they'd added FunWall, Superwall etc, and the original wall was relegated right to the bottom of the page or sandwiched inbetween useless widgets).
In stark contrast, my widgets are still there and I can still access them (or add specific tabs for my favourite widgets), they've just been relegated to the sides of the stage - allowing the most important content, the actual interaction between users and the 'river' of updates, to take a position of prominence. I vastly prefer this new Facebook layout, and after I first tried it out (on its first soft launch, before they even offered the link to switch over at the top of the page)... Well, I never switched back to the old one.
Finally, Facebook once again has some semblance of control and maturity to it! That's why I prefer it to Myspace (nothing more than a messy, uncontrolled desert of a place imho) - with all the widgets and poorly designed addons, Facebook was rapidly becoming Myspace Mk. 2 ('now with more blue'), and that irritated me tremendously. I'm glad the designers decided to curb the hitherto-unbridled disorder that all those addins and Facebook apps were causing.
I wonder why not? :/
Btw, WTH is going on with the HTTPS support. Anybody tried accessing the new Facebook with HTTPS? I either get an error page or I get the old-looking Facebook without applications. Talk about buggy and they want to roll this out in the next couple weeks. I certainly hope it all gets worked out soon, but then again who actually cares about security anyways right (sarcasm).
I really don't understand why there is such a big uprising against the new Facebook. Really, there are so many more important things that could use that much rebellion and energy. Not the user interface for a free social site.
mc