Yes, the title is written in past tense. It’s because I believe that facebook will redesign their home page layout and revert to something more like what it was and should be. We will then have a whole series of conversations, posts and tweets from days when we talked about facebook trying to become (or better yet, incorporate) twitter.
Did you know you could vote on the new facebook layout? You can. Go here and share your opinion. So far the feedback is incredibly negative. You can merely give it a thumbs up or down or you could also give them specific feedback. Here’s the feedback I provided:
The new facebook now changes the engagement model. instead of being able to casually visit facebook to keep up with my friends, I have to constantly be engaged b/c you no longer give me the 10,000 ft. view of their activities. If you’re honest, this is a direct response to twitter. Twitter works because it’s intended to be a stream of consciousness destination, and if that’s not what people are looking for they don’t have to use it. In facebook, you created a destination for keeping up with friends and family, and the new layout creates a discontinuity with that model. Instead of launching a direct assault on twitter you should have improved areas you’ve already ventured into that need attention: groups and events pages for example. Instead of trying to also become a conversation destination (something you are not) you should focus on further developing a destination within which more and more communities can be built in better, more effective and creative ways.
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts and any comments you may have provided.
