If you are a member of Facebook, you've probably heard about the new Facebook petition. While past petitions were about Facebook's terms of service, ownership of content and privacy, the new Facebook petition is about the the recent redesign of the site's format.
Reasons for the New Facebook Petition
Web developers need to stay employed. As such, they often redesign their websites based on the philosophy that new is better. However, there is often a disconnect between the opinions of the web designer and those of the end user. More often than not, the end user was perfectly happy with the original design. This is certainly the case with Facebook. Many members believe that the new design is not user friendly. Some comments are based on the technological issues associated with the site. Others are more emotional, such as, "They made Facebook look like Myspace," or "They're trying to make it look like Twitter." Here are some of those opinions about problems with the new Facebook:
- Facebook applications and general information are now on different pages.
- Many of the former applications are not compatible with the new layout.
- The new Facebook layout is messy and confusing.
- The layout is not centered.
- The wall and the mini-feed are now the same thing.
- You can no longer minimize applications.
- There is too much blank space on member profile pages.
- The new Facebook no longer has left-side shortcuts to groups and applications.
- Some people complain that when they reply to a message in their inbox, they get an error message saying "your account will be disabled if you continue to spam."
- Some Pentium D users complain that their computer jumps from from 6% CPU usage to 58% when they use the new Facebook.
Keep in mind that while some of these issues are based on fact, others are simply opinions.
Groups Against the Facebook Redesign
According to Mashable Social Media blogger Adam Ostrow, there are many groups that are protesting the Facebook redesign. Some are on Facebook, and others are on the World Wide Web. Here are some of the larger groups protesting the changes:
- Why the Change - This site has a letter to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook . You can click on the icon to sign the petition.
Mark Zuckerberg Defends the New Facebook
Despite the criticism, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg stands behind the redesign. In his blog, he defends his decision by explaining the evolution of Facebook.When Facebook began in 2004, it was a simple directory with names, interests, contact information and a profile picture. The only way to see a friend's updates was to go through your friend list and check to see if they've updated their profile. At the time, this was not a big deal, since people rarely updated their profiles. Then, as Facebook added groups, events and photos, people began to share more information. This inspired the creation of News Feed, an application that allowed you to see your friends updates on your homepage.
In 2007, Facebook popularized the term Social Graph, which is used to describe how people interconnect on social networks. Zuckerberg believed that there already is a connection between people's friends, affiliations and interests, and he wanted to find a way to use Facebook to map these connections. With this in mind, Facebook began to add profiles for public figures and organizations. These can be seen on your home page. However, some people feel that these new streams clutter up their homepage.
