Facebook gets a new look and an unfavorable response

Sep 21, 2011 5:39pm

(NECN: Ally Donnelly) - "So what do you think of all the Facebook changes?" we ask tourist Ken Jones.

"Facebook changes?" he shrugs.

The octogenarian over from England may be living under a rock, but there hasn't been a bigger outcry in these parts since...Nancy Kerrigan cried, "Whyyyyyy?"

Facebook has gotten another facelift.

"It's too confusing, there's too much going on," said one Boston woman.

A man pauses to pull out his ear buds, "They have too much to do with your life, Facebook. They should just leave it the way it was."

Another woman said definitively, "I don't like them."

The number one social networking site launched a new look for your homepage, most notably adding a newsfeed that replaces the chronological order in which you used to get posts from friends with "top stories" -- what *they think you'll find most interesting.

"Facebook uses secret algorithms and they decide based on your activity, your friends activity, who likes what, what might be most important to you,” said social media maven Steve Garfield. “They're actually reducing the noise of the internet."

Other changes include friend lists like Twitter, a real time ticker and promises of better video and music interfaces. Social media maven Steve Garfield says it's no coincidence that Facebook launched its revamp the same day Google+ opened membership of its new social network to the general public.

"They just added all these features that Facebook didn't have." said Garfield. "Facebook had to do something because of defectors//going to Google+ and I was one of them"

And now, we wonder? "Well, now, I'm not too sure anymore," he said.

So let's log on to my Facebook friends and see what my friends think.

My daycare mom friend said, "I don't really appreciate Facebook telling me what the top stories are."

Friend Shawn said, "Dear Facebook, one change at a time would be great."

Renee said, "The new format sucks, thanks.”

Dave said.....ooooh. I can't repeat what Dave said.

And Jen said, "Dear Facebook, I hate every change you've ever made. TTFN see ya on Google Plus, people."

What's TTFN? Oh, tah, tah for now, apparently. Something many Facebook users still aren't ready to do.

One woman walking by the State House admonishes, "If you're gonna use it then use it, if you don't like it then don't use it."

Agrees another, "Everyone complains, but then they get used to it and then it changes again and they complain more."

No one's grumbling more than Facebook and Google+ who are angling for more users -- more eyeballs, more ad revenue.

Tags: changes, Ally Donnelly, Facebook, ad revenue, Google+, unfavorable response

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