Comments on: Facebook Backlash http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/ Trusted Insights and Conversations on the Next Wave of Technology Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:00:29 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Greait http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-954673 Greait Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:13:44 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-954673 <p>I think some are taking this story to far and making seem like everyone hates the new features.</p> I think some are taking this story to far and making seem like everyone hates the new features.

]]> By: Mini-Feed’s not in Wikipedia « Do You Sociate? http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-738639 Mini-Feed’s not in Wikipedia « Do You Sociate? Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:00:21 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-738639 <p>[...] memory serves, the Mini-Feed announcement caused quite a ruckus. Plenty of people were worried about the privacy implications (though not as much as the [...]</p> [...] memory serves, the Mini-Feed announcement caused quite a ruckus. Plenty of people were worried about the privacy implications (though not as much as the [...]

]]> By: Andrew Simpson Design » Buy-in. http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64318 Andrew Simpson Design » Buy-in. Mon, 21 May 2007 19:20:14 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64318 <p>[...] mind-boggling that we don’t see companies taking advantage of more tangible communication to protect their most valuable resource. Post a [...]</p> [...] mind-boggling that we don’t see companies taking advantage of more tangible communication to protect their most valuable resource. Post a [...]

]]> By: GigaOM » Facebook: the New Publisher http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64316 GigaOM » Facebook: the New Publisher Sat, 24 Mar 2007 17:30:07 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64316 <p>[...] a personalized account of recent activity across your network which greets you when you sign on, first caused a ruckus, but now is surely one of the site’s most-used features. Zuckerberg displays his [...]</p> [...] a personalized account of recent activity across your network which greets you when you sign on, first caused a ruckus, but now is surely one of the site’s most-used features. Zuckerberg displays his [...]

]]> By: Duane http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64314 Duane Thu, 07 Sep 2006 05:48:48 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64314 <p>Hey John</p> <p>Thanks for proving my point. Just as many people I find like the features as hate it. There are tons of groups standing on each side. If facebook says they are wrong now,.. what's next, the next feature they add? People hate change, but to say they are wrong now would only set a precendent for down the road. They need to talk with the community and teach people how to use their privacy settings as most people just need to tweak it, so all their infor isn't every where or delete what they did from their history on their profile. I know this as a facebook user. If you look at most of the anti groups, they just call the feature lame, but don't say why. Why look at all your friends profiles, when all the same features is on your homepage.</p> Hey John

Thanks for proving my point. Just as many people I find like the features as hate it. There are tons of groups standing on each side. If facebook says they are wrong now,.. what’s next, the next feature they add? People hate change, but to say they are wrong now would only set a precendent for down the road. They need to talk with the community and teach people how to use their privacy settings as most people just need to tweak it, so all their infor isn’t every where or delete what they did from their history on their profile. I know this as a facebook user. If you look at most of the anti groups, they just call the feature lame, but don’t say why. Why look at all your friends profiles, when all the same features is on your homepage.

]]> By: Andy http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64312 Andy Thu, 07 Sep 2006 01:11:39 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64312 <p>"Students Against Facebook News Feed" currently has 403,451 members as of right now. </p> <p>Still think "most students" like the feature?</p> <p>Here's an article with slightly more of a grip on reality, haha. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1532225,00.html?cnn=yes</p> “Students Against Facebook News Feed” currently has 403,451 members as of right now.

Still think “most students” like the feature?

Here’s an article with slightly more of a grip on reality, haha. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1532225,00.html?cnn=yes

]]> By: Narendra http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64310 Narendra Wed, 06 Sep 2006 17:27:55 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64310 <p>FYI, there is a nice lucid breakdown of the changes, complaints, good things, and possible fallout here:</p> <p>http://www.talkface.com/viewtopic.php?t=89</p> FYI, there is a nice lucid breakdown of the changes, complaints, good things, and possible fallout here:

http://www.talkface.com/viewtopic.php?t=89

]]> By: John Tenassian http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64308 John Tenassian Wed, 06 Sep 2006 17:15:36 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64308 <p>No, Duane. 100k people mean more like 1,000,000 who are angry about it, but haven't had the time or don't/won't complain outright about it. And add now all of these people trashtalking the site… it's a nightmare.</p> <p>What's even worse is Mark Zuckerberg's response. "Calm Down. Breathe. We Hear You." It's hard for me to imagine a headline more patronizing. How about saying "Our Mistake" or "Whoops". First rule of good customer service is to apologize for ANY mistake, perceived or not. Doesn't matter who is right or wrong, the customer wants to hear that THEY are right and have a real problem. </p> <p>Facebook needs to disable this ASAP, to publicly admit they were "wrong" to foist it on people, then allow their users to opt-in to it. </p> <p>But I hope they won't, because it could well be a turning point against them.</p> No, Duane. 100k people mean more like 1,000,000 who are angry about it, but haven’t had the time or don’t/won’t complain outright about it. And add now all of these people trashtalking the site… it’s a nightmare.

What’s even worse is Mark Zuckerberg’s response. “Calm Down. Breathe. We Hear You.” It’s hard for me to imagine a headline more patronizing. How about saying “Our Mistake” or “Whoops”. First rule of good customer service is to apologize for ANY mistake, perceived or not. Doesn’t matter who is right or wrong, the customer wants to hear that THEY are right and have a real problem.

Facebook needs to disable this ASAP, to publicly admit they were “wrong” to foist it on people, then allow their users to opt-in to it.

But I hope they won’t, because it could well be a turning point against them.

]]> By: CG http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64306 CG Wed, 06 Sep 2006 16:58:50 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64306 <p>Not every company that grows and adapts to its users makes 100% correct decisions that 100% of the users like 100% of the time. Here's Facebook's time to shine. If they can alter the feeds to appease more of these people, then the net effect could be positive. Ultimately I think it will cause the Facebook addicts to stop doing tons of crap to their profiles that most people could care less about. I have a MySpace account, and when I start getting 8 bulletins a day from the same person, I delete them as a friend.</p> <p>Give it a couple weeks, then we'll see.</p> Not every company that grows and adapts to its users makes 100% correct decisions that 100% of the users like 100% of the time. Here’s Facebook’s time to shine. If they can alter the feeds to appease more of these people, then the net effect could be positive. Ultimately I think it will cause the Facebook addicts to stop doing tons of crap to their profiles that most people could care less about. I have a MySpace account, and when I start getting 8 bulletins a day from the same person, I delete them as a friend.

Give it a couple weeks, then we’ll see.

]]> By: Liz Gannes http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64304 Liz Gannes Wed, 06 Sep 2006 14:53:51 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64304 <p>Hey Andy and others,</p> <p>Disagree with me all you want, but I'm on Facebook like every other recent college grad. And I honestly do find the new features useful.</p> <p>Liz</p> Hey Andy and others,

Disagree with me all you want, but I’m on Facebook like every other recent college grad. And I honestly do find the new features useful.

Liz

]]> By: Duane http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64302 Duane Wed, 06 Sep 2006 12:52:58 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64302 <p>I don't think everyone is looking at the big picture here, to some degree. People only complain when they are unhappy not when they are happy. So the fact that anyone who likes the new features are not saying anything is normal. If a 100,000 or even 1 million students don’t like it, think how many of the users do like it and add a good curve in their for nutrel students. I didn’t like the new features as much yesterday, but I found them a bit more useful this morning, after having slept on the idea.</p> <p>I think they should work to improve on the features with the community. I think more students like the new features then don’t, but you never hear from the happy camp more times then not. There will always be a small group you can’t please because you can’t please everyone in life. </p> <p>I think some are taking this story to far and making seem like everyone hates the new features, when I think most don't. I know for one, that I like them and a few of my friends do as well. But again, facebok shold work with the anti-new features group and help make them "better".</p> I don’t think everyone is looking at the big picture here, to some degree. People only complain when they are unhappy not when they are happy. So the fact that anyone who likes the new features are not saying anything is normal. If a 100,000 or even 1 million students don’t like it, think how many of the users do like it and add a good curve in their for nutrel students. I didn’t like the new features as much yesterday, but I found them a bit more useful this morning, after having slept on the idea.

I think they should work to improve on the features with the community. I think more students like the new features then don’t, but you never hear from the happy camp more times then not. There will always be a small group you can’t please because you can’t please everyone in life.

I think some are taking this story to far and making seem like everyone hates the new features, when I think most don’t. I know for one, that I like them and a few of my friends do as well. But again, facebok shold work with the anti-new features group and help make them “better”.

]]> By: Sam donaldson http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64300 Sam donaldson Wed, 06 Sep 2006 09:56:05 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64300 <p>must agree with the college student who gets it. it's amazing how the bloggers think they know what they're talking about.</p> must agree with the college student who gets it. it’s amazing how the bloggers think they know what they’re talking about.

]]> By: Andy http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64298 Andy Tue, 05 Sep 2006 23:15:59 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64298 <p>Are you nuts?</p> <p>I love how you and Mike Arrington are COMPLETELY out of touch with what college students actually WANT out of a service like facebook. </p> <p>Within a span of about 15 minutes of release, over 600 comments were made in reaction to the News feed and Mini feed. I am a 21 year old college student, semi-avid user of facebook, and EVERYONE I know HATES the changes that have been implemented. Some people I know, as well as people who posted on the their blog, have threatened to close their facebook accounts all together.</p> <p>The reason for me is totally understandable. People feel, and rightfully so to me, that they should not have to go back and manually erase all their history that they don't want to see. No one likes to have their sense of privacy invaded, and now, if you want to see EVERYTHING a person has done recently, all you need to do is visit their profile. </p> <p>READ THIS COMMENT, it was one of the ones I saved before they actually disabled comments (has Mark Zuckerberg turned FASCIST?): </p> <p>"These new features are great, people just aren't used to them yet. This is really going to help me keep tabs on my girlfriend.</p> <p>One feature I'd like to request you add is the ability to see how often people view a certain page and whos pages they are looking at. I need to keep tabs on my girlfriend and that would be a great help. Thanks!"</p> <p>I don't know if this guy is being sarcastic, but either way.. does this not sound a little insane to you??</p> <p>I know you web 2.0 bloggers jump for joy every time some kind of RSS or other trendy feature comes up, but wow, it is just hard to believe that you and Techcrunch would actually praise Facebook for a move that its audience and users so clearly dislike. </p> <p>This move is definitely going to leave a bad taste in college students' mouths every where and will leave it vulnerable to the next great thing to come along.</p> <p>-a college student that "gets it"</p> Are you nuts?

I love how you and Mike Arrington are COMPLETELY out of touch with what college students actually WANT out of a service like facebook.

Within a span of about 15 minutes of release, over 600 comments were made in reaction to the News feed and Mini feed. I am a 21 year old college student, semi-avid user of facebook, and EVERYONE I know HATES the changes that have been implemented. Some people I know, as well as people who posted on the their blog, have threatened to close their facebook accounts all together.

The reason for me is totally understandable. People feel, and rightfully so to me, that they should not have to go back and manually erase all their history that they don’t want to see. No one likes to have their sense of privacy invaded, and now, if you want to see EVERYTHING a person has done recently, all you need to do is visit their profile.

READ THIS COMMENT, it was one of the ones I saved before they actually disabled comments (has Mark Zuckerberg turned FASCIST?):

“These new features are great, people just aren’t used to them yet. This is really going to help me keep tabs on my girlfriend.

One feature I’d like to request you add is the ability to see how often people view a certain page and whos pages they are looking at. I need to keep tabs on my girlfriend and that would be a great help. Thanks!”

I don’t know if this guy is being sarcastic, but either way.. does this not sound a little insane to you??

I know you web 2.0 bloggers jump for joy every time some kind of RSS or other trendy feature comes up, but wow, it is just hard to believe that you and Techcrunch would actually praise Facebook for a move that its audience and users so clearly dislike.

This move is definitely going to leave a bad taste in college students’ mouths every where and will leave it vulnerable to the next great thing to come along.

-a college student that “gets it”

]]> By: Sameer Vasta http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64296 Sameer Vasta Tue, 05 Sep 2006 21:26:04 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64296 <p>Yeah, I full just joined the Anti-Facebook-Feed group, because I'm a little creeped out by the change. I can see the utility in it all, but just throwing it at users like they did today wasn't all too smart, and they make the option to make some activity private very explicit or let you opt out totally of having your activity syndicated.</p> <p>I mean, I have nothing to hide, but it's still all a little creepy.</p> <p>That being said, it is quite handy to see what people have been up to. (My, there have been a lot of broken relationships among my friends in the past day!)</p> Yeah, I full just joined the Anti-Facebook-Feed group, because I’m a little creeped out by the change. I can see the utility in it all, but just throwing it at users like they did today wasn’t all too smart, and they make the option to make some activity private very explicit or let you opt out totally of having your activity syndicated.

I mean, I have nothing to hide, but it’s still all a little creepy.

That being said, it is quite handy to see what people have been up to. (My, there have been a lot of broken relationships among my friends in the past day!)

]]> By: Rishi Khaitan http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64294 Rishi Khaitan Tue, 05 Sep 2006 20:40:51 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64294 <p>I agree that a lot of the negative comments are knee-jerk reactions. A lot of the people whose comments I included in my blog post about the issue were not really aware of how they could remove items from their feed. However, I think the big problem is in the design of the feature. </p> <p>Facebook launched the News Feed feature without warning users first so it caught people by surprise. News of the feature spread fast, people logged in and saw a log of their Facebook activities explicity published and became angry. The feature should have been communicated better.</p> I agree that a lot of the negative comments are knee-jerk reactions. A lot of the people whose comments I included in my blog post about the issue were not really aware of how they could remove items from their feed. However, I think the big problem is in the design of the feature.

Facebook launched the News Feed feature without warning users first so it caught people by surprise. News of the feature spread fast, people logged in and saw a log of their Facebook activities explicity published and became angry. The feature should have been communicated better.

]]> By: Liz Gannes http://gigaom.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64293 Liz Gannes Tue, 05 Sep 2006 20:05:05 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/facebook-makes-itself-useful/#comment-64293 <p>Chris and Andrew--</p> <p>I've been noticing the backlash as well. I would guess Facebook will respond by making privacy defaults and options (e.g. who can see what) more specific. Facebook is not just about colleges anymore so the Venn diagrams get more complicated.</p> <p>I tend to be a fairly private person, but I don't have a problem with the new Facebook features. I don't think this is so bad as the 'see who has looked at my profile' type features on other sites, or the email alerts places like LinkedIn send out when people update their profiles.</p> Chris and Andrew–

I’ve been noticing the backlash as well. I would guess Facebook will respond by making privacy defaults and options (e.g. who can see what) more specific. Facebook is not just about colleges anymore so the Venn diagrams get more complicated.

I tend to be a fairly private person, but I don’t have a problem with the new Facebook features. I don’t think this is so bad as the ’see who has looked at my profile’ type features on other sites, or the email alerts places like LinkedIn send out when people update their profiles.

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