The Next Web

Who Cares About The New Facebook?

It being Saturday, I figured that writing a lengthy post on things that make me unhappy would be appropriate. The tech world is waiting about for Monday to announce anything, so we can take the time.

There is again rabid anger on Facebook. Whenever Facebook makes minor design or functionality changes, people tend explode in righteous fury. It is almost comedic to watch the huddled masses crying out in pain over the fact that now, horror of horrors, their News Feed they will be alerted when one of their friends becomes friends with another person.

God forbid such insanity.

I woke up this morning to find a link to this group “GIVE US BACK OUR OLD NEWS FEED”  in my inbox, courtesy of a few “friends” that apparently have too much time on their hands. Figuring I could use a laugh, I fired up the group just to find it as annoying as can be. Take a look at some of these comments:

facebook fail big

People, this must stop. The group has 99,000 members and is growing seemingly at a few hundred members a minute. If you needed any proof that indeed Team MySpace has arrived, look no further. We must find the dichotomy between what the average Facebook user thinks, and what Scoble thinks, fascinating.

Best part: a counter team was set up to protest the protesters with a spoof group: “I AUTOMATICALLY HATE THE NEW FACEBOOK HOME PAGE.” Sadly, although the group name is brilliant, not all the users of the group understand that it is in fact a spoof. MG Siegler, points out that several Facebook employees joined the group, including Mark Z, so the spoof is real.

Of course, aside from the annoyance of the annoyance of the ingrates (Facebook was of course trying to improve their product, the crazies always seem to forget), we have a true problem: why aren’t these people using Facebook Lite?

Long ago Facebook Lite launched and was loved. It took away the bloat, cut the fat, and degreased the sausage. Don’t believe me? Try it.

I make my case that Facebook should actively push Facebook Lite as the anti-MySpace. It is your best social graph, under the lightest coating. What could be better, disregarding our current love with Twitter, than that?

Final point: when you have a product that everyone uses, then you have a userbase of curmudgeons that want nothing more than for nothing to change. Oh, and to play that ludicrous farming game. Alas.


  • Alex, I'm 100% with you. Even though I don't use Facebook lite that often, I believe it's one of the best things Facebook could have done for itself. The best part -- no pesky quizzes! :)
  • Yes! Agreed there. I use Facebook for Facebook, not as a hub for spammy fail. My friends do the opposite.
  • It is a direct proof of how design (ux, interface, all of it) should be left to professionals, and not to democracy and public opinion. It just boggles my mind how some ignorant teenage kid can even think that it's opinion has any weight over the opinion of a professional people working at Facebook. Why don't I just run into Ferrari's factory and tell them how to design cars? :)
  • Well, I prefer Lambos to Ferrari's, but I do agree.
  • klmdb
    I'm all with you. it's plain rediculous how people react to any change facebook makes, withou even giving it a chance. It feeds my cynicism...
  • klmdb
    *without
  • Will
    "The group has 99,000 members and is growing seemingly at a few hundred members a minute."

    Good. There's only one thing worse than people expressing their opinions -- people expressing how they don't like it when people express their opinions.
  • Oh no sir! I will never argue against the freedom of speech, but I might complain mildly at how it is used!
  • Sarah
    I really agree the fact that every tiny change that is made to facebooks page, people go crazy over nothing. It doesn't matter what it is, people in general hate change, and always complain about how they like the old format etc. Accept it cause it might be for the better.
  • Ylva
    I just know that Facebook Lite would never ever be a replacement for the friends of mine that are complaining. It's the Highlight they are missing, the new design is more like Lite.
  • Ayo
  • I'd say this group complaining on Facebook's changes is a very good indication that the platform has moved into main stream use. It's all about human behaviour here -which is fascinating off course. The vast majority of any group of people tend to resist change. Be it within a company, adopting new media like smart phones. And yes, also new Facebook functionality. Now it's time for Facebook to accept the fact the majority of its users falls into this group - and deal with it accordingly. I.e. start being a market driven company, not a tech company.
  • I actually quite like the changes this time. I'm getting much less application spam in my feed and if i'm too busy to look at everything i have the option of just seeing what people have found worthwhile.
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