Common Sense Isn't Found In The Couch

I love Facebook. I honestly don't think there is a better, more efficient communications tool on the Internet. It has everything you need: Email, Instant Messaging, a user-friendly interface, Groups, Blogs, Apps (just to keep things interesting) and Ad Space. It's also a cleaner, more eye pleasing layout, as oppose to sites such as MySpace (may it rest in peace...once it realizes that it's dead, of course) where the sites and sounds cause an epileptic seizure or make you want to run over bunny rabbits with a Hummer (for the record I've never contemplated that last one...)

The point is, Facebook is a fantastic tool. It's innovative and constantly evolving. One of the reasons MySpace developed Cancer and died is that it didn't evolve with the times. It stayed the same over cluttered and incomprehensible mess that catered only to the entertainment industry and never changed it's layout or added new features. It got boring and monotonous and people just stopped caring.

What Facebook does is a stroke of genius. It changes every few months. Sometimes it's little changes such as new features and about once a year (or twice at most) it performs a complete overhaul of it's interface. Now, for some, this seems to frighten and annoy. After all, people don't like radical change. They may have voted for it, but at the end of the day, people prefer a comfort zone of familiarity. I know what you're thinking, "this guy is contradicting himself. If people don't like change, then why did MySpace fail. This guy sucks!" Not at all, my words were "radical change". People are okay with an easy-to-adapt-to-subtlety, but they don't like overhauls. That's why every time Facebook performs one of these 27 new groups pop up within the first 3 hours that demand it goes back to the way it was.

I am not a supporter of such things. It's true, I am one who does not like radical change. I prefer change to be subtle. However, I am forced to ask "who can even remember what the first Facebook layout looked like at this point?" It really doesn't matter when Facebook changes because in a week you'll get used to it and go back to your day-to-day of Status updates and photo uploading. It's OK everyone. The sky isn't falling and Carrot Top isn't performing for you in your living room. When Facebook changes, it is fine!

Except for this time.

Facebook recently implemented one of their more subtle, barely noticeable changes. However, it's causing more of an out lash than any of their overhauls that they've done in the past. What it is is that you're being prompted to "reconnect" with someone who hasn't been active in a while as a means of helping them to feel special or liked. It also prompts you if Facebook thinks you haven't been communicating with this person enough. Well, I have been repeatedly asked over the past few days to "reconnect" with a dearly departed friend. Yes people, Facebook is asking me to reconnect with a dead person. One could easily understand how this may be an emotional issue and one that Facebook really should have thought out when they decided to implement this change.

And it's not just me. There was a story on Yahoo! News today about the very same issue. People all over the world are being asked to reconnect with and write on the walls of deceased friends. Here's the article if you want to read it when you're done here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20091028/us_time/08599193280300

Now, I understand completely that Facebook doesn't know that these people are dead. All they know is that the person hasn't been active in a while and that you haven't been trying to contact them for anything. What you'll read in the attached article is that facebook now has instructions as to inform them of who has passed on and appropriate measures will be taken. That's all well and good, but it forces to ask yet another question regards to the implementation of said change: "do people still have common sense?"

Sure, if the developers at Facebook are curious as to why there is little activity from a particular profile, the last thing they probably want to assume is that the person has died. But what if they just don't like Facebook anymore. There have been a few people to jump ship and go exclusive to the simplicity of Twitter. What if you (being the person who is receiving the suggestion to reconnect) just don't want to talk to that person anymore? I mean, friendships do come and go after all. The person is still on your friends list, but you don't want to talk to them anymore (FYI: Friends Lists and having people on them that you don't like is another topic that I'm kicking around, so stay tuned...). Also, what if the reason I haven't Facebooked a person in a while is because I see them in person on a daily basis? A few days ago I was asked to reconnect with my roommate. For obvious reasons I don't Facebook him, therefore the good people at Facebook Development decided to intervene.

Change is good Facebook. I enjoy your site very much and that fact that you mix things up from time to time is one of the reasons I keep coming back. But you need to think things through before implementing the next big idea. Do some Marketing Research from time to time. Find out what people actually want. The option for a "dislike" button has been a hot topic for at least 6 months now. Where's that? Listen to the people and you will succeed. It's a concept that politicians haven't yet grasped, but maybe you can continue being the trend setter that you are and get the ball rolling on that one.

In the meantime dear readers, live long and don't touch my shit!

A Change of Pace

So...Tasty Groove Studios is no more! I know...pause for moment of silence. However, things are still kicking! "Alien Zombies" is still going under the banner of Paper Tiger Comics and will soon be online at its own website (www.alienzombiescomic.com).

So what does this mean for the blog? Not much. Just that it will now be my personal blog and not necessarily limited to the comics that I make. See you all soon!