The recent outcry over Facebook’s changes had the social media juggernaut doing something not seen very much these days. They listened to their users. What? Are you kidding me?
This isn’t the way it’s supposed to happen right? Users are supposed to bitch and moan yet continue to use the service while being ignored because, ultimately, the service still has value. Eventually, everyone either gets used to it or gets tired of bitching and life goes on…until the next change, then rinse and repeat.
This time though, Facebook listened. They didn’t revert back to the old style, but they made a few changes the users suggested (that actually made sense) and they made them quickly.
The biggest change? Filtering is back. Not the way it was before…but a variation of it. In the “old” style, you had a few options for notices in your news feed: Ignore user, see less from this user, see more from this user and ignore application. When the new layout rolled out…this was completely gone. You could ignore the user completely but there was no middle ground. So, I either had to see what every one of my friends picked as their favorite 5 this-or-that item…or I’d have to ignore ALL their updates (and what’s the point in having them as a friend if I ignore everything they do? Another post maybe).
Now though, they’ve replaced the “ignore” button with a “hide” button, with a small difference. Instead of hiding the user, you can now hide just the application. So if you don’t give a hoot when someone throws a Ryan Seacrest at someone or when one of your friends does something on Mob Wars…you can ignore just those applications. You’ll still see all their lovely photos and status updates, without the boring stuff you don’t care about.
It’s more than that though. By making this change, and making it so quickly, Facebook is telling their users “we care about your opinions.” Never underestimate the value of a user feeling valued. It brings them into the community more, gives them a deeper sense of ownership. Can you imagine MySpace listening to their users?
I hope this is a trend that continues. After all, the social media revolution is all about listening to what people are saying about you. It’s only fitting that you take that priceless feedback and make your product better…no matter who you are.
