Facebook is redesigning its user profiles again? Hmmm, it must be Tuesday…
The new design has been called either one of two things, and one of two things only; “The way forward,” or “Pointless.” Those two phrases completely sum-up the entire nature of Facebook and how it is used by people around the world.
This redesign was unveiled at the f8 developer conference on 22nd September highlighting “major” changes in the layout and navigation in an attempt to make “Facebook profiles nexuses for consuming content.” Good words there, good words indeed; it almost makes it sound like it’s a necessary update.
The truth is Facebook needs to stay ahead of the game, or at least in it. With Twitter, Weibo, Google +, LinkedIn, Bebo, Friendster plus many others, hot on its heels and hungry for its followers, Facebook needs to keep itself looking fresh and provide new, exciting features to keep people coming back. It’s like watching an aging starlet resort to extreme plastic surgery in order to still appear young and cast-able.
Redesigning profiles is, in no small part, an attempt to push us into a higher level of social e-commerce, which means Second Life-like opportunities in the form of Facebook credits and app stores; a brave new Facebook world for all to spend their money in.
The profile changes have been part of a wider launch that includes the launch of a music and media platform. This is their ultimate jewel in the crown – if the media platform really takes off with users then it will be another win for Facebook. It may even help reconvert those that have lost their Facebook faith. This music and media platform will display the media content a user is watching or listening to on their profiles, so for example, if you just happen to be listening to the Macarena on Spotify, your friends list can see it, access it via your profile and dance along with you to the hip beats of that terrible 90’s one-hit wonder.
All of these changes are directed at keeping users on their profiles longer with an eye for increasing their consumer spending on e-commerce. After all, a social network as destitute as Facebook needs to bring home the bacon every once in a while!
Still, give it another six months before they decide to change it again.
