The New Facebook

Do you like the new Facebook? Certainly a question that you have been asked at least once by someone (probably me) after the social networking site launched its revised website. Despite using the same color schemes and familiar navigation options on the borders of the homepage, Facebook users have been greeted by a radically new design that seems, well... Twitter-ish.

Probably the most prevalent change is that user updates are now displayed in a real-time stream- a revision stemming from what Facebook claims is a need to “keep you up to date on everything that's happening.” Streaming content can be filtered according to networks you belong to (cities, schools, etc). The user interface has been retooled and other details like fan pages have received complete overhauls. But the most shocking change- one that should have been done years ago- is the absence of the “is” in the status bar.

Sounds a lot like Twitter right? And if people love Twitter and Facebook is like Twitter, then people should love Facebook. If A=B and B=C, then users will fall in love with Web 2.0 again.

But people haven’t fallen in love.

According to a recent poll I conducted on The Daily Derbi, 47% of Facebook users don’t like the new site. Besides nearly one out of two people disapproving of the site, 25% said they needed more time to think about it, meaning the disapproval rate can only go up. Only 27% favored the new style.

Some poll results are even more extreme. According to a massive poll done by TechCrunch, over 94% of people disapprove of the revamped Facebook. 94%! That is huge.

So why do people dislike this change? First and foremost, human nature tends to reject change in general. Think back to last year’s massive Facebook overhaul. This exact same situation was occurring- people didn’t like the transition then and they don’t like it now. People are now wanting the newest “old Facebook” back.

But beside instinctive human nature, several valid points were made on the Daily Derbi about why users don’t like it. “I don't mind change, but if Facebook is just going to copy Twitter, I might as well just drop one... and it probably won't be Twitter,” says social media guru Nate Bagely. “I'm a fan of originality.”

Some people have argued that the new Facebook (and Twitter) just have too much information about anything and everything. “I don't particularly care about all of my friends status updates or wall-to-wall's that they have with each other, which was why the old facebook was better suited for me,” one reader mentions.

It seems that every update is met with poor reception. So what can Facebook do to switch the negative momentum? Be proactive. Instead of pulling an Apple and telling users what they want, ask them. Find out what features would interest and benefit users by direct interaction. Websites like Facebook and Twitter have enabled major corporations to do just that. Then, once changes have been decided, let users know well before hand (Facebook’s 4 day warning doesn’t count) about the changes and how they will impact the site and usage. The days of the traditional random hit and miss technique should be gone. With people’s presence and dependence on the web becoming greater everyday, prodding their users just a little bit will reap huge rewards and prevent future missteps, PR nightmares and feedback forms.

--- Chad

Oh ya. I almost forgot to mention how I feel about the new Facebook (if I didn't I know a few of you who would be irritated). I don’t particularly mind the new design. In my opinion, Facebook has always been about communicating with friends instead of networking with complete unknowns (aka Twitter). I think Britton Kowalk summed up how I feel pretty well: “The new home page is much simpler, displaying a constant stream in the middle (which you can fine tune to specific friends if you want), and highlights among your friends down the right side.” And that, to me, is what Facebook should be doing.