Facebook changes - a feature too far?

fluffnutter

QuackQuack wrote: »

The latest round of changes at Facebook seem to have some users jumping up and down (given that it's free to join and free to use it does make me laugh when the complain about it).

Are the new changes a feature too far? Have they lost sight of what the end users want? Are they too concerned with how to make that monster of a site earn money? Is it to compete with the forthcoming Google social media service?

Perhaps the fix is to get out more, get a life, and leave Facebook alone?

It might have been useful to say what the changes are. How would I tell if something is 'a feature too far' if I don't know what that something is? How would I know if it's to compete with Google social media if I don't know what they're doing?

As it stands your post merely says 'Something unspecified has happened. How do you feel about that then?'

Dontknowanymore

fluffnutter wrote: »

It might have been useful to say what the changes are. How would I tell if something is 'a feature too far' if I don't know what that something is? How would I know if it's to compete with Google social media if I don't know what they're doing?

As it stands your post merely says 'Something unspecified has happened. How do you feel about that then?'

Do you not have facebook then?

fluffnutter

Dontknowanymore wrote: »

Do you not have facebook then?

No. But I'm still interested in what it does.

spike7451

Basically,instead of having a couple of options tabs where you can set how you want news feed,status ect to display,you now have a scrolling feed to the right,so it's easy to miss some posts by your friends as you now get everything scrolling on the right,who's made friends with who,who commented on who's post where as before it was only on who's post you commented on.(you get a number notification on the top left on a little globe)

Facebook is useful for a lot of us,I've re-met friends I served with in the RAF & lost touch with over twenty odd years ago,we also recently had a reunion in Blackpool which was arranged thru Facebook,over 50 turned up,not bad considering they're spread out all over the world since leaving the service.

The changes are more irritating than anything else,if it ain't broke,don't play with it springs to mind,and no one except my friends can see my status or posts due to my security settings.

Jennifer_Jane

I'm with spike on this. Love FaceBook as it keeps me in touch with people I wouldn't normally be in touch with. We've become closer as a result. Also the old friends that I'm back in contact with, including an ex-boyfriend from 30 years and a different continent ago. We've been together now for a year, and I'm so pleased to have had this opportunity to get back with him. I also 'like' some news/news satire/magazine links, and some 'political' links.

I am retired and spend a lot of time on my own, I'm sitting in front of the TV with my laptop anyway - and this is a way of keeping in contact with the world. My world would be lonelier without it.

The security is pretty good, I think. I have 'medium' FB security which is hpps, and I'm happy with that.

The problem with the changes is that it's just something needlessly new and different - it seems security settings always have to be reset - and it's something else to get to grips with. FaceBook is NOT free - it's a database that we volunteer information on, knowing that the details are sold to advertisers - it's a business. Each change seems to benefit the database/advertisers rather than the consumers.

PS - have also just linked up to Google+ and unimpressed so far.

QuackQuack_2

I think it's all loads of guff about nothing. People always whine about free stuff - free social networking, free bus passes etc etc. I think Facebook is marvellous, but it's not a substitute for living a real life.

RadoJo

QuackQuack wrote: »

The latest round of changes at Facebook seem to have some users jumping up and down (given that it's free to join and free to use it does make me laugh when the complain about it).

Are the new changes a feature too far? Have they lost sight of what the end users want? Are they too concerned with how to make that monster of a site earn money? Is it to compete with the forthcoming Google social media service?

Perhaps the fix is to get out more, get a life, and leave Facebook alone?

Facebook may be free to use, but the fact that it is so popular makes millions of dollars for the owners, so I'm not sure what's so laughable about people complaining when they make changes which the users don't like.

I'm constantly surprised that people make the leap that Facebook users need to 'get a life' considering that it enables me to stay in touch with my many friends in other countries around the world, organise events easily and support friends in need who might otherwise be unable to contact so many people at once when they need it. Perhaps it's not for everyone, but why are people so judgemental about those who do get something worthwhile from it?

fluffnutter

QuackQuack wrote: »

I think it's all loads of guff about nothing. People always whine about free stuff - free social networking, free bus passes etc etc. I think Facebook is marvellous, but it's not a substitute for living a real life.

You raise an interesting point about value v cost. Just because something's free it doesn't mean it has no value. If facebook offer a service, and you feel that service has changed to your detriment, and hence its value is reduced, you have every right to be cross, whether you paid any money for that service or not.

And actually, people always whine about stuff, free or otherwise.

[Deleted User]

what I get irritated with is all the sudden changes, and they're not small either! I'm finding myself now trying to figure out everything all over again it's like I'm on a different site!

I still like Facebook, everyone I know is on there, all my photos and tagged memories etc, and tbh really can be arsed signing up to any more social networking sites at the mo so will stay with them. No doubt by the time you read this post it would have changed again in some form

fluffnutter

I reckon Mark Zuckerberg's just really bored. What he needs is another enormous legal trial to occupy him. Then perhaps he'll stop fiddling around with facebook.