Facebook Changes Just Like Everything Else
Posted: September 21, 2011
By: Justin Mattison
I have always been taught that if something isn’t broken, one shouldn’t attempt to fix it.
Nobody, it would seem, felt it was their responsibility to mention that to Mark Zuckerburg and Co., who yet again rolled out even more changes to the most-popular site ever, Facebook. Apparently the golden eggs that goose was laying weren’t golden enough. Either that or they felt it should excrete diamonds as well.
Regardless, that’s not where my issue exists. My problem is with the gazillion Facebook users who treat every update like it’s the impending apocalypse. The last thing I expected when I logged on this morning was to be met by a mob of my own friends and family flooding my (updated) News Feed, equipped with their torches of fury and pitchforks of opinion, chanting in unison about how much Facebook sucks.
These are the people that don’t understand the ever-changing landscape of the web. These are also the people that are offended that something they consider a part of their everyday lives would force them to actually take some time out of their day and learn something new. Most of them aren’t on the other social networks and have no idea what Facebook’s major competitors are up to. I, personally, commend Facebook for sticking to their guns and keeping things fresh. They see something that can be done differently (and perhaps better), and they go for it.
When Myspace was in their prime they hardly rolled out any changes. Then along came Facebook, with it’s superior use of the color blue, and Myspace was left in the dust. If Myspace had been smart, they would have measured up their competition as soon as it showed up. They would have analyzed everything Facebook did that they couldn’t do, and then they would have brought it to it’s users before Facebook had a chance to. If Myspace had only been as proactive as Facebook is today, I would be pimping this blog post in a bulletin instead of posting it to my wall.
The moral of the story is this - the web changes. It is a living breathing organism composed of more molecules than you could ever imagine, each working in tandem with the others. To not evolve is to doom yourself to an eternity of mediocrity, while your competitors pass you by without even a second thought.
If you’d like some official explanation of the changes implemented by Facebook, follow the links below:
Amen!
In all honesty, I typically greet these updates with a bit of skepticism (perhaps out of habit). That said, I usually find one or more elements of the updates to be superior and/or more useful than the previous iteration. It’s unfortunate that so many are so quick to bark at change - on facebook, and in life in general. Change is good, and those that are not encumbered by the notion that it is not good, will eventually be considered as leaders (look at myspace and facebook).
Comment By: Stephen Orsini | September 21st, 2011
This article makes me weep with joy. I’ve been a Livejournal user since 2001, and have since become accustom to whiny users that are stubborn to change. I think Facebook does a great job (most of the time) adding features to their service. All changes won’t be good, but not doing any at all will make your website stale.
Comment By: Amanda | September 21st, 2011
a well argued, and not unexpected, point.
however, as humans, quite often our first line of defense when it comes to dealing with change or with inconvenience, is to complain.
some of us complain when the line at the grocery is too long and we have to - oh my god - stand and wait a bit longer than usual.
still others find other things to complain about.
put a computer keyboard in front of us, change the way we use our favorite gossip site, and, as humans, our first reaction is to use the letters on that keyboard to formulate our initial reactions to this perceived inconvenience.
the complaints will wane as the new system becomes more easily navigated.
hit a billion people in the face with a frying pan, and a vast majority are going to say ouch; followed by, you know, incredulity.
also, swear words.
only the people wielding the pan have the wisdom to suggest we should not react to the pain, but rather sit quietly until it goes away, because, eventually, it will, you idiots.
in time, we idiots with the flat faces and purple noses (also known as the vast majority keeping alive mark zuckerberg’s little venture) will come around.
we deserve, i humbly suggest, the time it takes to get there.
Comment By: kevin mattison | September 21st, 2011