In this day and age, it seems like it's impossible to exist without some sort of social media. That may be true, and many times our lives have been vastly improved by the social media we consume daily. Whether we do so from an entertainment, marketing, networking, or other purpose, it's something that everyone in our society today is at least familiar with.
From the days of Xanga and Myspace to today's world of Facebook, Twitter, and perhaps even moving forward to Google+, we continue to immerse ourselves in the virtual world to find our information. We continue to learn adapt to new technology, to new networks, moving on when one fails to take up another.
I've always had an enormous fascination with the way marketing through social media functions, building relationships with clients, fans, or any other type of consumer to create a mutually beneficial relationship. However, the people who seem to remain the furthest behind in social media literacy are the actual creators of the media itself.
This blog is being written as a direct message to the developers of platforms such as Facebook and Myspace.
Years ago, Myspace was a huge network, especially among the community of musicians and artists trying to pass on their art to current and new audiences. The biggest draw of Myspace for many bands was its flexibility in format. Users could even add their own HTML or CSS code to sections of the Myspace page to create their own layout, which was a huge upside to the system, especially when most of those young bands couldn't afford their own website, or weren't educated in the creation of a functional website. However, with the advent of Facebook, Myspace felt it was losing ground in the industry, and in attempt to make a radical move to regain that foothold, actually made a change to the system that took away that flexibility from the artists, leaving them with a spartan profile system with little appeal or functionality. Facebook offered up the fan page, and Myspace was quickly abandoned.
Now, after many years of success with the Facebook fan page format, Facebook is looking to repeat the mistakes of its predecessor. The success of the fan page has not been due to the amount of information that can be given to the people viewing the page, but rather from the interactive relationship being created between the consumer and the artist or business. Now, in a misguided attempt to move forward, Facebook has decided to impose its new "timeline" structure on artists. This structure, while returning a few features like direct messaging between pages and fans, is poised to destroy what Facebook has built with its fan pages. The new timeline has done damage to the professional appeal of the pages, moving from a streamlined, straightforward list of information to a difficult to read, disjointed grouping of information that Facebook sees as important. Not only that, but the user experience is interrupted mid page with advertisements, ads that could easily remain on the side, top, or bottom of the page.
The theme that constantly repeats itself is the developers moving forward in strict opposition to the needs of the users. We as users understand that the platforms can't move forward without trying new things, experimenting, and offering new systems for users. However, the problem arises when users aren't allowed alternatives to changes they disagree with. All Facebook pages are being forced to convert to the new timeline structure, and it will be interesting to see if the Fan Page survives it.
I believe that Facebook will be able to retain the Fan Page user base as long as it retains its personal profile users, but if it continues turning a deaf ear to users, the personal page's days may very well be numbered.
Developers, this is a direct message to you: Involve your users in the process, give them options to be part of your new system, or the option to remain with their familiar system. At the very least, find a way to communicate better with users and understand their wants and needs ahead of your own ideas. The customer, as they say, is always right.
If you agree with me or disagree with me, let's make the true power of social media visible. Write your comment, repost this blog wherever it is you share your information, and share your opinion. I want to read what other people think.
Cheers.
-James "Shard" Dewit
