Facebook User-Friendly makeover in the works
It seems that those who run Facebook are gearing up to overhaul the site. Apparently they’re planning on making it more user friendly for those who I guess have a rather limited understanding of the internet and its various offerings. I personally have not had any problems with the site but I guess a little tweaking here and there can’t hurt. Progress is good, right?
Perhaps the new changes will include an abandonment of those annoying applications that so many people seem to love so much. I’ve never understood why someone would want to invite me to an application that’s all about peas. Who likes peas? Nobody likes peas. Even peas don’t like peas. Just because creating a silly application is an option doesn’t mean people have to run with it and beat it to death and then broadcast their love of peas to everyone. Have I mentioned how silly peas are?
When a website like Facebook starts changing and adding things I can’t help but think of James Bond. The James Bond movies to be precise. The series started off well enough and those old films can be fun to watch but they progressively got more silly as they were released over the years. A few gadgets were neat, who doesn’t like a good watch/laser, but there comes a point when, rather than going along for the ride and laughing in appreciation for the fun factor of whatever Q came up with, the audience begins laughing at what they’re watching. Sequels, we’ve come to see, are usually not as good as the original in any particular series. So what of Facebook? Will they take the Batman and Robin route or will they go the way of Aliens?
A website is of course a different thing entirely but, in general, whenever a group of people go out and try and best their previous work while sticking to the same project the product sometimes disappoints. I guess it’s a matter of getting people’s hopes up. Build it up too much and people are going to expect something beyond belief. We all remember what happened with that clear Pepsi. Perhaps the good people at Facebook will leave the option to members to keep the old layout when the new one comes out. In any case, even if users aren’t entirely happy with what they end up with I highly doubt they’ll cut and run. Who would want to lose all those nifty Internet friends?
Sometimes an overhaul just isn’t enough to keep people’s attention or attract new people. Users flocked in masses to Facebook once they realized that it was a step up from myspace. Will the same happen in a few years when a new social website (or newer idea) catches on. It’s hard to predict something like this since there isn’t much precedent. Social Sites still a relatively new thing. It’ll be interesting to see how this one folds out.
While we wait we can humor ourselves with funny gifts and typing in the “how we met” boxes for our various friends outrageous claims like ‘we met at the enema clinic’. And yes, we can continue with the applications about peas. Green, yellow, shucked or not, the possibilities are endless.
