The Need to Adapt to A Changing Competitive Environment

An article from Australian IT (2008) entitled 'Facebook Makeover Leaves Some Devotees Fuming' explains the 'disappointment and frustration of millions of Facebook fans when a new layout was introduced for a smoother, quicker, more organized and spam-free format'. According to Wong (2008), 'the main purpose of Facebook's changes was to declutter to a single profile page with different tabs and third-party applications are more hidden'. If it is for the better of the user's, then I do not see why the rebellions are for.

I personally think this new format is very accomodating though at first it may seemed a liltle complicated. But as the saying goes, 'practice makes perfect' and that is how exactly the new Facebook layout is working for me.

The old Facebook layout:

(Source: The World of Midnight 2008)

The new Facebook layout:

(Source: Facebook.com 2009)

According to Schirato and Yell, (1996, p. 109), 'context functions as cultural frames within which to make sense of text, frames which operates through our knowledge and literacy in a variety of other contexts'. The audiences prefered the previous context as they felt difficulties in moving around the website as they are unfamiliar with it.

As supposed to be done, Reep (2006, p. 134) said that, 'the purpose of design features is to direct the attention and guide the reader's ability to easy-understanding of a highlighted, important section of a topic'. However, based on an article from Indiatimes, Infotech (2008), 'users have termed the new design, which has became a default for almost all its members, confusing and non-user-friendly'.

I think Facebook has partly failed in catering to some of its audiences needs becasue there is no changes done to compensate the drastic change of Facebook to these unsatisfied users and this might lead to lost of loyal fans and followers. These people would most likely divert to MySpace and other social networking sites leaving Facebook on the losing end.

Either way, Facebook or its users will have to eventually adapt to each others changes in order to co-exist in a symbiosis relationship.

References

Facebook makeover leaves some devotees fuming 2008, Australian IT, viewed 11 June 2009, http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24328928-15318,00.html

Has Facebook makeover bombed? 2008, Indiatimes, Infotech, viewed 11 June 2009, http://infotech.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3548699.cms

Reep, DC 2006, 'Chapter 4: Principles of document design', in Technical writing, 6th edn, Pearson Education, Inc., New York, pp. 173 - 190.

Schirato, T & Yell, S 1996, 'Chapter 5: Framing context', in Communication and cultural literacy: an introduction, Allen & Unwin, St. Leonards, NSW, pp. 109 - 127.

Wong, W 2008, Unhappy Facebook users likely to accept new digs, Chicago Tribune, viewed 11 June 2009, http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/sep/11/business/chi-thu-facebook-redesign-sep11