Facebook Design Change Unpopular
News Feed Gets Overhaul
Do you find Facebook easy to navigate? For some people, getting used to the social networking site's layout is an ongoing process, one that isn't helped by Facebook management's decision to constantly change the way navigation works. Earlier this week the site's News Feed got a major overhaul, and while Facebook brass appear pleased with the 'upgrade' most members are anything but impressed.
Until recently, visitors to Facebook were greeted with a News Feed that would allow them to navigate their friends' status updates, photo posts, video links, and even conversations through two distinct but comprehensible filters: most important (typically, those updates, photos, videos most commented on) and most recent (self-explanatory, no?).
In short, it was a fine system. If you visited Facebook frequently, you tended to click "Most Recent" because you didn't need Facebook to tell you what should be considered the most popular or important updates because you'd read all of those updates anyhow. However, the most important tab was useful for those people who didn't regularly visit and upon logging in once or twice a week could access the most earth-shattering updates instantly.
The new News Feed embraces this latter group while essentially dismissing the interests of the former faction. It's not a particularly wise move, since the former group includes Facebook's most devoted fans.
So, what is the change? Well, Facebook has essentially done away with the "Most Recent" tab and now includes just a single news stream that essentially determines what you'd be most interested in. Ironically, on my Facebook page those stories deemed most relevant to my interests included people complaining about the new design. Yep, that really is the definition of irony.
Still, Facebook management doesn't seem too concerned. Mark Tonkelowitz, the site's engineering manager, believes it essentially morphs the site into the daily newspaper, with important headlines right there at the front and less interesting stories relegated to the back pages.
"When you pick up a newspaper after not reading it for a week, the front page quickly clues you into the most interesting stories. In the past, News Feed hasn't worked like that. Updates slide down in chronological order so it's tough to zero in on what matters most," Tonkelowitz said.
Perhaps Tonkelowitz and his colleagues have failed to notice that social networking sites like Facebook have essentially killed the printed newspaper precisely because these electronic services offer users a way to get information quickly and easily. The new design makes accessing information more difficult.
But hold on to your hats! Although it isn't ready yet, a new tool might solve the problem. Facebook says it will soon unveil "Ticker," a tool that immediately tosses out Facebook updates in real-time. It also allows users to immediately join into conversations with their friends based on those updates.
In the end, it may just be that people are simply uncomfortable with change. Then again, it also seems Facebook doesn't know when to leave well enough alone.
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