OK, OK, I tried to avoid the whole Facebook thing. After all, I’m not a college student so don’t really think it applies to me but their community is in the middle of a major revolt.
The Facebook team has shown very little astuteness about how to deal with communities, though.
Having your CEO to tell people to “calm down” (as reported on TechCrunch, actually on their own blog) ain’t the way to get people to stop throwing molotov cocktails through your front window.
When the users talk, you should listen. And listening is hard sometimes.
Other notable discussion of this issue:
Jack Schofield in the Guardian Unlimited, writes “Facebook’s giant blunder.”
Mark Canter takes Facebook’s side (but explains that Facebook should cry Uncle and listen to its users) in a post titled “Facebook gets dissed by its users for providing coolio new features.”
Kristin Maverick, who writes the BitePR blog, penned this headline: Facebook rightfully earns the name Stalkerbook with new features.
And, of course, there are more, many more, posts over on TechMeme.
Drew Meyers is reporting that in just 30 minutes tonight that more than 20,000 people joined the protest page.
This doesn’t seem to be something small or containable.
What should Facebook do?
1) Get out of text. Use video to talk with your community. Video is better than text because it is more human, more connecting, and more likely to get links. Also, you can make your case much better to the community in video than in text. But, basically, I’d recommend giving them what they want. The feedback is so overwhelming that you need to turn off the new features by default and add more granularity to the tracking behavior.
2) Build a community group with a good cross-section of your users. That you can talk with in a small room. Include both “Z list” and “A list” and a few inbetween too in this group. Make it as diverse as you can. Include people from around the world. PAY THEM to fly into meet with you. Then have them ask your development teams what they are doing on their behalf. Video that to the world live and encourage them to blog and podcast whatever they want to the world. Demonstrate that you’re humble, listening, and able to make decisions on their behalf right there and then.
3) Open up your company to real, interactive, blogging. Demonstrate you are listening. Listen. Listen. Listen. If you don’t know what I mean by that, open up Google Blog Search or Technorati. Type “Facebook” into there. Then start writing on your blog where you link to EVERYONE who has something nasty to say about you and answer their questions honestly and openly. Word on the street is that Facebook is a very conservative company internally when it comes to blogging. Now is the time to open that up and get everyone to make a human connection to your users.
4) Engage with bloggers. Directly. In their comments. I’m seeing way too many blogs without ANY comment from Facebook employees, especially the negative ones. Don’t just talk with TechCrunch and Scoble and other “A listers.” Get out to EVERYONE if you want to turn this around.
Good luck, you’re gonna need it. You’re in for a wild ride.
Robert:
I think the biggest problem with the current implementation of the “Feed” feature is the inablity to turn it either on or off at the discretion of the user (the “mini-feed” and/or the “feed” on the main page). From my perspective, that is exactly what has turned me and my fellow students off from the new updates. Although Facebook is more structured than Myspace, there still needs to be some space for user customization (forcing a new feature is simply not the answer).
Robert:
I think the biggest problem with the current implementation of the “Feed” feature is the inablity to turn it either on or off at the discretion of the user (the “mini-feed” and/or the “feed” on the main page). From my perspective, that is exactly what has turned me and my fellow students off from the new updates. Although Facebook is more structured than Myspace, there still needs to be some space for user customization (forcing a new feature is simply not the answer).
I think this shows how out of touch some Web 2.0 bloggers are with actual users- “Web 2.0 experts” like Canter, Arrington, and Om’s writers focus on “the coolio features” from a technical/”we’ve never seen THAT before” aspect, with zero concern/experience in how communities like FaceBook and its users use the services. How can they review services for these communities from the outside? Answer, its obvious in this case they can’t, and totally missed the boat on this.
I think this shows how out of touch some Web 2.0 bloggers are with actual users- “Web 2.0 experts” like Canter, Arrington, and Om’s writers focus on “the coolio features” from a technical/”we’ve never seen THAT before” aspect, with zero concern/experience in how communities like FaceBook and its users use the services. How can they review services for these communities from the outside? Answer, its obvious in this case they can’t, and totally missed the boat on this.
My grandfather used to say, “The fastest way to the bottom of the mountain is to run right off the side of the road but that don’t mean it’s a good idea.”
I suspect Facebook was full of good intentions but were taken in by some overzealous programmer whose only goal is to show what he can do. There’s a ton of websites out there with too many useless and potentially harmfull whistles and bells. Instead of asking, “What else CAN we do?” programmers (and their CEOs) need to ask, “What do we NEED to do?”
By the way, I hear that 20,000 is now up to 130,000 and growing.
My grandfather used to say, “The fastest way to the bottom of the mountain is to run right off the side of the road but that don’t mean it’s a good idea.”
I suspect Facebook was full of good intentions but were taken in by some overzealous programmer whose only goal is to show what he can do. There’s a ton of websites out there with too many useless and potentially harmfull whistles and bells. Instead of asking, “What else CAN we do?” programmers (and their CEOs) need to ask, “What do we NEED to do?”
By the way, I hear that 20,000 is now up to 130,000 and growing.
Hi Robert,
My daughter just left for a semester in France.
The last thing she did before leaving was to start up a “Face Book is Now Retarded” group. (Happy to send you the screen grab!)
These guys have just put square wheels on a car that was crusing along at 120mph in first gear. Sadly, they’re about to find out just how fast that car can come to a screeching halt.
Your thoughts are bang on. The key question is this: with such a fickle audience, is it already too late?
Cheers,
Rick
Hi Robert,
My daughter just left for a semester in France.
The last thing she did before leaving was to start up a “Face Book is Now Retarded” group. (Happy to send you the screen grab!)
These guys have just put square wheels on a car that was crusing along at 120mph in first gear. Sadly, they’re about to find out just how fast that car can come to a screeching halt.
Your thoughts are bang on. The key question is this: with such a fickle audience, is it already too late?
Cheers,
Rick
Rick: I don’t think so, but if they don’t react fast they will lose it all.
Billy: actually that was just 20,000 in 30 minutes!!!
The total number is over 400,000 on one of the protest blogs.
Billy: actually that was just 20,000 in 30 minutes!!!
The total number is over 400,000 on one of the protest blogs.
Rick: I don’t think so, but if they don’t react fast they will lose it all.
Facebooker: good point. It’s one reason I haven’t written much about Facebook. It just isn’t something I understand or use in my daily life so I’d rather stay away from judging it.
Facebooker: good point. It’s one reason I haven’t written much about Facebook. It just isn’t something I understand or use in my daily life so I’d rather stay away from judging it.
Yes, everything about “listening” is vital. This theme is becoming a fad. Company doesn’t listen. Customers revolt. It sounds so simple to resolve. However, change resistance is an ugly cancer.
Yes, everything about “listening” is vital. This theme is becoming a fad. Company doesn’t listen. Customers revolt. It sounds so simple to resolve. However, change resistance is an ugly cancer.
“When the users talk, you should listen. And listening is hard sometimes.”
Don’t forget “should be willing to fight standard company process”. I, and no doubt others, deal with the client’s retort as “I know, I know, but it just can’t be done because of A, B, and C and la la la” and then it becomes forgotten until a long awaited “I told you so” comes from my mouth.
“When the users talk, you should listen. And listening is hard sometimes.”
Don’t forget “should be willing to fight standard company process”. I, and no doubt others, deal with the client’s retort as “I know, I know, but it just can’t be done because of A, B, and C and la la la” and then it becomes forgotten until a long awaited “I told you so” comes from my mouth.
I have to say that I love the new features. But then I’m an old foggy to most college students and clearly not the target audience for them. Though I do have an account and even have some friends there.
I think that Facebook miss understood their audience in some regards. To me it was pretty obvious that this was just an easier way to get the same information that was always available. I see that as a positive step. But I think that a lot of people with Facebook accounts want the information there but because they take anyone as friend they really only want people who care enough about them to dig for information to find it all. These features break that illusion.
I wrote about this a bit on my own blog of course.
I have to say that I love the new features. But then I’m an old foggy to most college students and clearly not the target audience for them. Though I do have an account and even have some friends there.
I think that Facebook miss understood their audience in some regards. To me it was pretty obvious that this was just an easier way to get the same information that was always available. I see that as a positive step. But I think that a lot of people with Facebook accounts want the information there but because they take anyone as friend they really only want people who care enough about them to dig for information to find it all. These features break that illusion.
I wrote about this a bit on my own blog of course.
I’m not a Facebook user, so I have to ask: is what Zuckerberg wrote in his blog post true (i.e. this feature doesn’t share any information with anyone who wouldn’t already have had access to the same information, but just aggregates it)?
If that’s the case, then the Facebook “revolt” would seem to be led by (and comprised of) idiots.
I’m not a Facebook user, so I have to ask: is what Zuckerberg wrote in his blog post true (i.e. this feature doesn’t share any information with anyone who wouldn’t already have had access to the same information, but just aggregates it)?
If that’s the case, then the Facebook “revolt” would seem to be led by (and comprised of) idiots.
Use video to talk with your community. Video is better than text because it is more human, more connecting, and more likely to get links.
*cough*
Is this the same Scoble who used to skim-read 1000 feeds a day?
For most of us who don’t deal with it for a living video (and audio) posts are a huge waste of time. I can consume this post as text in a minute or two; as video, it would take five or ten minutes. I won’t bother.
Case in point: I have stopped reading Matt Cutts’ blog since he started posting video rather than text. I find his posts interesting, but my time is too short to sit through him *reading* them.
Use video to talk with your community. Video is better than text because it is more human, more connecting, and more likely to get links.
*cough*
Is this the same Scoble who used to skim-read 1000 feeds a day?
For most of us who don’t deal with it for a living video (and audio) posts are a huge waste of time. I can consume this post as text in a minute or two; as video, it would take five or ten minutes. I won’t bother.
Case in point: I have stopped reading Matt Cutts’ blog since he started posting video rather than text. I find his posts interesting, but my time is too short to sit through him *reading* them.
James: Yes, and it’s also the same Scoble that carried a video camera around. Some things need to be taken into video. If they are important they’ll get transcripted on every blog around the sun anyway.
James: Yes, and it’s also the same Scoble that carried a video camera around. Some things need to be taken into video. If they are important they’ll get transcripted on every blog around the sun anyway.
I’m not a Facebook user, so I have to ask: is what Zuckerberg wrote in his blog post true (i.e. this feature doesn’t share any information with anyone who wouldn’t already have had access to the same information, but just aggregates it)?
If that’s the case, then the Facebook “revolt” would seem to be led by (and comprised of) idiots.
Yes it’s true. The difference is that before if you wanted to find out if any of your friends had a new friend you had to visit their profile. That could take a while if you had a lot of friends. Now you see all that information on your home page. So there isn’t new information available but it is a lot more easily available. I like the feature but I understand why some would not. A lot depends on how you see the Internet and what your privacy model is.
I’m not a Facebook user, so I have to ask: is what Zuckerberg wrote in his blog post true (i.e. this feature doesn’t share any information with anyone who wouldn’t already have had access to the same information, but just aggregates it)?
If that’s the case, then the Facebook “revolt” would seem to be led by (and comprised of) idiots.
Yes it’s true. The difference is that before if you wanted to find out if any of your friends had a new friend you had to visit their profile. That could take a while if you had a lot of friends. Now you see all that information on your home page. So there isn’t new information available but it is a lot more easily available. I like the feature but I understand why some would not. A lot depends on how you see the Internet and what your privacy model is.
[...] I saw the Facebook is in the process of a revolt. I find this SUPER interesting. I want to write some comments on this but I need to get some sleep first. [...]
Robert: I completely agree with your each of your prescriptions. Including the video. James, as a general rule, you’re right: video is a lot less efficient than skimming text. But this is not the kind of circumstance where general rules apply. When you step into a whole this deep, you need extraordinary responses. In a case like this, listening to and responding to your customers will carry you further than talking to the press and the A-list bloggers.
Let the A-listers catch you in the act of doing the right thing. Then they’ll naturally amplify your effective response, Don’t try and enlist A-listers as megaphones for your talking points.
Robert: I completely agree with your each of your prescriptions. Including the video. James, as a general rule, you’re right: video is a lot less efficient than skimming text. But this is not the kind of circumstance where general rules apply. When you step into a whole this deep, you need extraordinary responses. In a case like this, listening to and responding to your customers will carry you further than talking to the press and the A-list bloggers.
Let the A-listers catch you in the act of doing the right thing. Then they’ll naturally amplify your effective response, Don’t try and enlist A-listers as megaphones for your talking points.
When FaceBook got an offer for 750M, they should have gone for it.. instead they are hoping for 2 Billion, which i think is way too much for the site
When FaceBook got an offer for 750M, they should have gone for it.. instead they are hoping for 2 Billion, which i think is way too much for the site
I don’t use Facebook (not a student, either), so I don’t have enough context to judge the new features.
But there is one BIG thing I’m seeing that tells me that they don’t “get it”:
Their “blog” doesn’t have a feed of any kind that you can subscribe to.
That, to me, is enough to write them off, in my book.
I don’t use Facebook (not a student, either), so I don’t have enough context to judge the new features.
But there is one BIG thing I’m seeing that tells me that they don’t “get it”:
Their “blog” doesn’t have a feed of any kind that you can subscribe to.
That, to me, is enough to write them off, in my book.
Okay Robert no offense but what is the first piece of advice from someone who now works at a Hammer company, “well you need a different tool to fix your communication, you NEED a Hammer.”
I agree they need to communicate more directly with their user base but Hammers aren’t necessarily ‘their’ answer. Let them find what works for them, but I agree they need to start improve the process of communication.
Okay Robert no offense but what is the first piece of advice from someone who now works at a Hammer company, “well you need a different tool to fix your communication, you NEED a Hammer.”
I agree they need to communicate more directly with their user base but Hammers aren’t necessarily ‘their’ answer. Let them find what works for them, but I agree they need to start improve the process of communication.
Hey
To Brain’s question in comment number 11, the answer is yes. I’m a facebook user and nothing you don’t want shared isn’t. The problem is most just leave the settings as is when they sign up, so everyone we add as a “friend” can see what we all do.
People just need to change their privacy settings or click the “x” in their profile, which takes the action they just did, add a picture/friend or what ever they just did, from out of the news feed. But most don’t know this and well, they are acting just like a college group world. Mob rules are taking over in this 100,000+ strong group.
There are just as many groups for the new features as there are against them. Just most who like them aren’t being as vocal as the anti mod. I for one like the new features as I can see what is happening in all my friends lives, especial the ones living outside of Toronto, Canada.
Scoble, I think you should let the Facebook guys know your opinion and how they can try and turn this situation around. As a PR guy as well as a student, I think your idea could work to a degree.
Thomas: I’ve been doing video for about three years and got Microsoft’s Channel 9 site up to about 4.3 million unique visitors.
You’ll note that I keep doing both a blog and a video blog and last week I was on a podcast too. Use the right media tool for the job.
Hey
To Brain’s question in comment number 11, the answer is yes. I’m a facebook user and nothing you don’t want shared isn’t. The problem is most just leave the settings as is when they sign up, so everyone we add as a “friend” can see what we all do.
People just need to change their privacy settings or click the “x” in their profile, which takes the action they just did, add a picture/friend or what ever they just did, from out of the news feed. But most don’t know this and well, they are acting just like a college group world. Mob rules are taking over in this 100,000+ strong group.
There are just as many groups for the new features as there are against them. Just most who like them aren’t being as vocal as the anti mod. I for one like the new features as I can see what is happening in all my friends lives, especial the ones living outside of Toronto, Canada.
Scoble, I think you should let the Facebook guys know your opinion and how they can try and turn this situation around. As a PR guy as well as a student, I think your idea could work to a degree.
Thomas: I’ve been doing video for about three years and got Microsoft’s Channel 9 site up to about 4.3 million unique visitors.
You’ll note that I keep doing both a blog and a video blog and last week I was on a podcast too. Use the right media tool for the job.
You know, it strikes me as odd, yet fitting, that all these Community Web 2.0 companies, can’t seem to ever understand the communities, they, themselves created, SixFallingApart, Friendster, YouTube, and now Facebook. The programming geeky arrogance, makes not for great customer relations.
Microsoft needs most of Wagged and a small army of infantry extras, just to stay float. Sounds like these Webby companies could use a lesson or two…
You know, it strikes me as odd, yet fitting, that all these Community Web 2.0 companies, can’t seem to ever understand the communities, they, themselves created, SixFallingApart, Friendster, YouTube, and now Facebook. The programming geeky arrogance, makes not for great customer relations.
Microsoft needs most of Wagged and a small army of infantry extras, just to stay float. Sounds like these Webby companies could use a lesson or two…
Robert I am not ignorant of that work, but still when you work for a hammer company every problem can look like a nail…I agree it gets down to the right tool for the right problem.
Robert I am not ignorant of that work, but still when you work for a hammer company every problem can look like a nail…I agree it gets down to the right tool for the right problem.
Thomas: great, but they aren’t doing a good job of blogging, either. Telling their customers to “calm down?”
If a PR professional told them to say that then that firm should be fired immediately and someone more professional should be called in to help them out.
Heck, I’d give them advice for free. My cell phone is on my blog. I’ve lived through a few media storms in my day. I have lots of PR horsepower to help them out. I can get them guys at Edelman or Waggener Edstrom to help them deal with this firestorm and get them out.
I have authority here cause I’ve done 600 videos for a major corporation (four, actually, cause I had Amazon, Google, and F5 in my videos too).
Thomas: great, but they aren’t doing a good job of blogging, either. Telling their customers to “calm down?”
If a PR professional told them to say that then that firm should be fired immediately and someone more professional should be called in to help them out.
Heck, I’d give them advice for free. My cell phone is on my blog. I’ve lived through a few media storms in my day. I have lots of PR horsepower to help them out. I can get them guys at Edelman or Waggener Edstrom to help them deal with this firestorm and get them out.
I have authority here cause I’ve done 600 videos for a major corporation (four, actually, cause I had Amazon, Google, and F5 in my videos too).
Dude no need to pull the A-Lister stats to try to impress, number of videos or other assort crap (kidding , I live the Z list
)
I understand when I said right tool I didn’t say blogging, I agree reading and talking with blogs is another answer. Nothing wrong with it. Even if we don’t exactly agree (mostly we do in issue it’s minor quibble issues) you have talked more tonight than they probably have in the last month. I wouldn’t know I am not on the Facebook inlist.
I don’t doubt your belief or your experience and I respect both. It’s an issue of philosphy I see many paths to the truth, in this case understanding and carrying on a conversation with their base, there are many tools to get there.
Dude no need to pull the A-Lister stats to try to impress, number of videos or other assort crap (kidding , I live the Z list
)
I understand when I said right tool I didn’t say blogging, I agree reading and talking with blogs is another answer. Nothing wrong with it. Even if we don’t exactly agree (mostly we do in issue it’s minor quibble issues) you have talked more tonight than they probably have in the last month. I wouldn’t know I am not on the Facebook inlist.
I don’t doubt your belief or your experience and I respect both. It’s an issue of philosphy I see many paths to the truth, in this case understanding and carrying on a conversation with their base, there are many tools to get there.
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