 |
|
|
Has Facebook Lost Its Focus?
Posted on Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Category: Social Media
Author: Michael Pierce
Facebook, from the very beginning, has always been about the user. From its barren yet easy-to-use interface to its unobtrusive ads. Facebook is what I have considered the "killer app" in social media. But has it begun to go astray?
In the past few months we have seen a myriad of changes on everything from Facebook's privacy policy to its layout. Facebook has always been able to take the heat its changes bring, roll with the criticism and come out with its user base intact and on board. But, these most recent changes seem to be escalating to the point of turning the killer app into something else entirely. I understand the importance of change and the value of increasing search functionality, but the most important thing for Facebook to remember is that they built their reputation on being the user's choice in social media applications. Users have considered Facebook as the best of all the offerings out there. I believe the changes to this point have been the right ones, and that users will soon be comfortable with the changes and rest easy.
But what will the next change bring? Hopefully, the Facebook powers-that-be will remember how they got to the dance.
|
|
|
| Comments: |
|
|
|
One of the reasons Facebook trumped MySpace was its user interface. MySpace was notoriously clunky, while Facebook was much cleaner and easier to use. Google emerged as the search engine king for the same reason.
Sure, people want access to more complex functions, but they also want the stuff they really need the most to be right up front. Keeping the home page interface simple is the key to success. Clunk it up and people will go elsewhere.
Posted by Karen K |
|
|
Privacy will continue to be a hard issue for social networking sites. People want to be able to share and to be found by all the people they're hoping will find them. But they also don't want info getting into the rest of the world's hands. It's tricky to do both.
Google Buzz already has privacy issues, too. An early version would automatically import your whole contact list, for example. Still I'm interested in trying it. The fact is that to play, you have to give up a certain amount of control.
Posted by Paul K |
|
|
I agree with the concerns over privacy but I am afraid that many people and/or companies who are very active in social meda care very little about this issue.
Posted by Michael P |
|
| You must login to be able to post comments. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
