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Mainstream Press Coverage of Facebook Redesign
September 22nd, 2008
Just to keep things in perspective, it is interesting to note how widespread coverage of the Facebook redesign has become. Even though most of it reports the “controversy” surrounding negative user reactions, the simple existence of this coverage shows how relevant Facebook has become for a much broader audience than only one year ago.
When was the last time editors from all of these media outlets devoted original journalistic effort to covering updates to a website’s design?
- CNN
- USA Today
- Forbes
- Chicago Tribune
- BBC
- Time
- San Jose Merc
- Connecticut Post
- … and many more
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September 23rd, 2008 at 5:29 am
Yeah, apparently a lot of people are impossible to please or just want attention. I wish internet news sites would quit giving the anti-new FB whiners so much coverage. Most of my Google alerts on Facebook stories these days are all about people simpering and whinging against the New Facebook! Argh! And they’re kicking up a huge fuss over nothing! It’s not as if Facebook has made another gaff by allowing tons of abusive viral chain letter apps to run wild like last year. It isn’t as if the new Facebook has suddenly become inaccessible. Everything still works. So the wall is spread throughout the profile instead of burried miles below all the nonsense application clutter. Boo-hoo! It’s still there! And the comment areas are a wonderful addition, you couldn’t just comment on people’s statuses and other items in much of the news feed with the old Facebook! The new Facebook makes that much easier, increasing communication! But “Waaaah, we hate the new Facebook!” Get a life! anti-new Facebookers, stop your whining, shut up and give new Facebook a fair chance! Sheesh!
And can we have more coverage about people who actually like the new design and why? It really is better if only people would calm down, take the time to really try it out and give it half a chance! Heck, I’ve been wanting comment areas throughout the news feed, especially on statuses for ages, and the new Facebook finally came along with this feature!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:02 am
“When was the last time editors from all of these media outlets devoted original journalistic effort to covering updates to a website’s design?”
Exactly. When was the last time something that usually every other company/site can do on an incremental basis, with a small amount of uproar, gets this much press? Never. When a company causes this much disruption to a large user-base (over 2,500,000 members of one anti-redesign group) then the news media reports on the issue.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 am
You know the Time story is “Expired” I wonder why they took it down. Maybe they figured out there late 40’s to early 50’s demographic might raise hell and wonder why they aren’t covering the war or presidential race.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I think that the design change uproar is pretty interesting and not totally unjustified. Above, Capri posted a reply saying people should stop whining because everything still works.
True. But,
it’s sorta like if someone went into your bedroom and moved all your furniture around without your permission. yes, everything still works and is still there, but it’s unfamiliar and disconcerting.
Facebook is messing with people’s “online geography.” Which seems to come with a cost…
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I definitely agree with the first commenter. This uprise is ridiculous but it is interesting to see how much FB has grown with this kind of coverage!
September 29th, 2008 at 7:01 am
@RyMo Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Facebook is not your room. You don’t own it. If anything, Facebook is much more of a coffe shop where people come in to socialize. They are aloud to do whatever they want.
The new design is actually better. People are just afraid of change.
September 29th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
@Alphonse I agree, facebook is not my room. I don’t own it. But if the coffee shop around the corner redecorates in contrastless minimalistic and decides to hide the counter, the tables and the toilets, then I will whine a little (sorry, if I’ve taken the analogy too far).
I’ve yet to find anything that is ‘better’ with new facebook. The front page has all the charm and appeal of a dentist’s waiting room, and weirdly enough I do not want to see somebody’s last 2000 wall messages first when I browse his/her profile. Add to that quite a few quirks of the layout itself, and you’ve taken the fun out of facebook.