It’s possible to have a little too much of the internet these days. Seems like there’s constantly a new social site to join, blog to read, person to connect to, and, well, you get the point. I came across this (embedded below) the other day and, well it kind of strikes a chord. I mean, I do use 1Password to keep track of the some 30 different web passwords I use. I do use less than 140 characters for an awful lot of communication and, well, I do remember when I was trying to manage two or three different emails at once and thought myself rather 1337. Yeah, that’s right. Anyway, this song is pretty funny. Enjoy.
About a month ago I explained why the new Facebook sucks. Well a few days ago Facebook decided to make the “new Facebook the only Facebook” and went ahead making a lot of people very, very angry. Based on the comments received on the original article, people seem to agree that there is no real usability improvement nor any additional ease of functionality gained from the new design.
What I find pretty funny is the search terms people use to find the article. On the right is a snippet from the site stats here showing 18 recent search engine results that lead to articles on this site. Out of the 18 search terms shown, 14 involve the words “new Facebook sucks.” I guess people are searching this exact phrase looking for people to agree with, or maybe they’re looking for reasons why people think this way. One thing I know for a fact is that no one in the Facebook office searched these terms to find out exactly what people are thinking.
Since the new design has gone fully live I’ve noticed a few other things that bother me. The first is the implementation of Applications. When the design switched over I noticed that there were two applications on my profile that I didn’t know I still had installed. So, I pulled up the Applications page to remove them. Before, there was a simple “remove” link to click. Now, the Applications page has numerous tabs with labels that don’t really make sense. Clicking “remove” on one tab doesn’t remove the application from the other tabs. In order to remove the application in question I had to click half a dozen times to get through all the options and actually remove the app. What a joke. This is probably the single worst effect of the new “design.”
Another thing, that I found more funny than anything, is the updated “People You May Know” box on the front page. I like that they’ve added a line to tell you why you might know the person, but what gets me is how broad the qualifier is. For example:
First of all, I don’t know anyone named Armando but the qualifier here is that we both live in Orlando. According to 2007 statistics, Orlando has over 277,000 people. Evidently because we both live here Armando and I should know each other. This new feature has potential, if Facebook can narrow the qualifier down to something like graduating class. However, based on Facebook’s lack of attention to input from the first go around, I’m not going to hold my breath.
All in all I’ve found myself visiting Facebook less over the last few days and opting more for the iPhone version, which now makes more sense then the web version. Are you visiting Facebook less? What is it that still irks you about the new design? Let me know in the comments.
The following post refers to the August 2008 Facebook redesign, if you would like to see my thoughts on the March 2009, click here
If you’re a member of Facebook you might have noticed the bar atop every page lately announcing the “new Facebook.” If you haven’t clicked “try it now” then you should, just to see what a horrible mess the whole thing is. If you’re not that adventurous then just keep reading and see what you’re not really missing.
The first ting you see when you pull up the new Facebook is a modified stalker news feed. This is, of course, where all of your friends updates can be found. It’s also the location of my first gripe. If you notice in the picture below, there is a large amount of whitespace surrounding profile pictures in the news feed. The profile pictures are so far away from the text it’s almost as if they’re not associated at all. On a positive note, the right hand sidebar is leaps and bounds better then the current implementation.
What's with all the whitespace?
Another issue I have can be found on a profile’s photos page. A person’s photo galleries have been moved to the bottom of the page, below ‘photos of’ that person (which is a collection of photos added by others that tag the person in question). It’s odd that the designers chose disorder over order here. The galleries should be at the top, or at the very least along the side. Also, notice the large amount of whitespace on the right side of the page. Granted, that is probably where an annoying ad goes but when ads are turned off it’s a gaping hole in the page.
What's with the disorganized photos page?
My final, and largest complaint, lies with people’s individual profile pages. Facebook has broken the profile pages into a number of tabs (Wall, Info, Photos, Boxes). Boxes is a very odd place to store all those crappy applications that should be done away with completely. Photos is mentioned above. Info is, well, exactly what it sounds like. The problem I have is with the main tab, Wall. The current Facebook Wall is the place to exchange messages with other people. Now the Facebook Wall is that and the profile’s mini-feed. That’s right. They’ve been combined into a very confusing, horribly implemented hodge podge of information overload. Grated, there are different filter buttons to get just what you’re looking for, but why should you have to do that? The two things don’t make sense together.
Did you really think it was a good idea to combine the mini feed with the wall?
Generally change is a good thing. Though Facebook seems to be changing for the sake of changing which is a very bad thing. The layout and design all scream FriendFeed, which is about as terrible a UI as I’ve seen on the internet in a long while. I guess Facebook decided to redesign things since MySpace recently did the same, but really, why should they care what MySpace is up too? I hope Facebook is paying attention to user complaints because I know I’m not alone in my thoughts.
Or am I? Let me know what you think about the new Facebook in the comments below.
Earlier this evening I realized that I haven’t run Adium X in a very long time. In fact, the only time I can remember opening an instant messaging client was a few weeks ago when I was trying to help a coworker use iChat to video conference her friend. I don’t imagine I’m alone in this. What was seemingly something that was impossible to live without just a few short years back, instant messaging seems to be all but dead.
Back in college AIM (and later Trillian) was an everyday staple, constantly running providing a never-ceasing connection to just about everyone I knew. Around the end of my college years, maybe 2005ish, the slow, quiet death of IM began, when a mobile version of AIM came out. It functioned using text messages… which basically defeated the purpose of AIM and only pointed out that text messaging was a far more effective means of communication. Widespread text messaging use provided a constant, always-there connection. Around the same time AIM away messages were slowly being replaced with Facebook status updates. These, along with a few other variables (perhaps a full-time job?) lead to the eventual neglect of instant messaging.
Then came Twitter. I have talked about Twitter before and not exactly in the highest of lights, but since my last rant on their service it’s gotten much, much better in both usability and uptime. When using the @reply system, Twitter is basically instant messaging 2.0. It’s a constant, always-on connection to not just friends but the entire world through pretty much ever medium imaginable: web, text messaging, mobile clients, desktop clients, and yes, even desktop instant messaging clients. It basically takes the original AIM concept to the next level.
So I guess instant messaging isn’t dead per se, but rather it’s evolved away from a simple desktop client to multiple methods of communication that isn’t limited in any way. It’ll be interesting to see what the next iteration of instant messaging will be.
Today Mostly Lisa wrote about her use of the “big three” web 2.0 sites — Facebook, Twitter, and Pownce — and it got me thinking.
I’ve been involved with a few 2.0’s for quite a long, long time. I joined Facebook (feel free to poke me) back in late 2004, when Florida State was first added to their allowed networks. I had managed to avoid the MySpace craze, and the Xanga, LiveJournal, Blogger, etc, etc but fell hard for Facebook. There was something about it’s exclusivity and the fact that everyone I knew joined at the same moment, and then friends at other schools joined as they were added.
After Facebook I joined some other 2.0 sites with waning interest. What this really means is that I’ve got barely updated, hardly used profiles all over the internet including Digg, where I have a total of nine dugg stories in two and a half years; Flickr, which is used as a place to store a few private pictures and some others that won’t upload to my website for whatever reason; and YouTube, where I have videos I’ve created for the youth group. I have also been an on-again-off-again user of Last.fm and LinkedIn, but my interested in each of those really depends on how bored I am. I tend to sign up for various sites when I hear about them (see Skydeck) and then forget about them altogether.
When the Twitter craze began about a year ago I ignored it. I figured the same purpose was accomplished through my Facebook status. I didn’t understand why anyone other then my friends would want to know what I was doing (sometimes I don’t think my friends want to know either). It all seemed a bit strange to me. I resonate more with Tycho’s take on Twitter then some of the other internet personalities who swear by it.
Perhaps my take on Twitter is really my take on the “social web” in general and explains my basic lack of using it completely, save Facebook. It seems like a great tool, something that will really be a great thing to sign up for and use, and then just never becomes worth my time. So, instead of making connections and being “social” I’ve left fractured pieces of my identity all over the internet. I’m sure a psychologist could make some deep insight on my personality based on that statement.
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy the concept of web start-ups and think a lot of the ideas are pretty cool, which is why I usually jump on board initially. Maybe I’m lazy. I don’t know. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll suddenly “get” Twitter, or I’ll find a need to heavily use Flickr or the other social sites. I’m not really sure if that will actually happen, but who’s to say it won’t. If I do, I’ll be sure to integrate it here.
About a month ago I explained 
