Tuesday Tech: Facebook Changes Unfurled

If you are a Facebooker and as of last week, 800 million people are, then you would have noticed some changes to your Facebook and/or lots of complaints about those changes!

A number of the changes are clearly in reaction to Google+ which yesterday was rolled out to everyone after a couple of months of invitation only. See my post on Google+




The changes that I have picked up are:

1. Updates are now known as Stories-thats a fascinating shift. We are now seen to be publishing about ourselves in the same way a newswriter or an author publishes a story
2. Real Time News Ticker: There is now a live mini stream of my friends’ updates. You can click on one of the little updates and you get a pop up with the full story. This was previewed for some of us a few weeks ago. I alternate between switching it on and off. You can hide it by downloading a groovy app for Chrome or Firefox.  This is the first Facebook attack on Twitter but it doesn't come close to replacing the way Google+ does it so well
3. Facebook has now combined the two feeds you used to tab between on your page (one was for Recent news and the other popular news). That in itself was a new feature not that long ago surely?  Now you have one feed but a Blue Corner now appears on the stories that Facebook thinks will interest you more (as seen below).  How they are choosing what  is important, I don't know. Any ideas anyone?     I have been fascinated by the choices so far!                     .    
4. In the right hand corner of every news story is a downward arrow, Clicking on it brings up options as to what I want done with that story.  For example, I can now mark some stories as top stories which means they will get more attention
5. Timeline -this is another response to Google+...and turns our main profile page into a Blog like experience. I have been testing it for a few days and I am yet to like it. I am not saying I dislike it, I just dont get it yet.
6. When I look at a Facebook business (or community group) page, there’s a new Friend Activity  link so I can see what friends are saying about the Page
7. I don't have to "Like" a Facebook page to be able to comment on that page- useful for not for profits
8. Choosing who reads what. I can now share which story with which audiences. ie Do I share with everyone or just my family or. This is another reaction to Google+. I dont like this change as a reader because I like learning about the random details of my friends not what they selectively want me to see!
9. Not for Profits can request that any duplicate Community Pages be merged with their Facebook Page (yay) and any Facebook Places (now Facebook Locations) are being integrated in as well. See my earlier Blog Post on this.     
10. Foursquare Venues, Gowalla Spots, and Yelp Pages are now integrated into Facebook Places Pages! This means that when people "check into" one of those tools, their check in will be linked to a not for profit page. This means any agency with a physical address, location or shop need to think about what they do with people checking in to your locale.
11. Hidden biggie: while everyone is moaning about the real time feed etc, the change that is getting less attention is that the external apps (the companies that pay for Facebook and make money from us) have more power over our information. Any app that is part of Facebook can collect info on my likes and broadcast it at anytime. These apps will broadcast to Timelines and Tickers separately. So if I like a new page, a company, a news story or song on an external app, then my friends will know through Ticker. My timeline will probably show a summary of that info. An advertiser can start to build an even more accurate picture of us and even more narrowly  advertise and market to me.

If you have not seen these changes, you soon will. You will get a little prompt and a message asking if you would like a tour of the new features.

Negative Reactions

The reaction to these changes has been hugely negative by users with comments appearing like:
••• "Facebook is starting to feel like that deadbeat boyfriend you just don't know how to break up with." -- @ScrewyDecimal

••• "Facebook continues to reinvent itself, by making itself less usable yet somehow exactly the same." -- @modeps

••• "Complaining about Facebook format changes is the ultimate 1st world problem." -- @Jenn1ferJun1per

••• "Why doesn't Facebook have a Dislike button?!” — Every jackass you know -- @hugsformonsters

••• "im a bit behind but what's wrong with facebook today?" -- @integratedmalay

••• "Facebook is banned in Pakistan. Can we do that in India too? Please." -- @desijourno

My thinking is that there are three reasons why Facebook changes get such huge negative reactions to changes:

1. Facebook has now become part of our identity and so every time it gets tinkered with, we feel like its  a part of us. 
2. Facebook gave almost no warning.  Change takes time. We need these ideas warned about a few times. 
3. I don't fundamentally believe we trust Facebook. We might all use it but their poor handling of privacy etc accompanied by sudden (and what seem dramatic) changes makes us remember they are in control and we are not sure we trust whoever is in control. 

The question is are these changes enough for us to switch off Facebook? Will Google+ gain and Facebook lose or will this mean more people using both or some switching off both platforms for good?

What I don't understand is why Facebook has this heavy handed change all approach? Why not roll these  things out as options. If I want a blue corner, let me choose it. If I want a real time news ticker,  why not let me choose it?

My biggest realisation is that through these changes, I feel a lot less like a customer and much more of a commodity to be marketed.

Ironic, seeing I teach not for profits how to use Facebook to reach donors and volunteers.

Whats your reaction to the changes?