I’m like the WikiLeaks or Anonymous of Facebook news. I’ve managed to infiltrate Mark Zuckerberg’s email, and guess what I found? Facebook’s New Years Resolutions for 2013.
Maybe not. But if I did, this is what they’d be (or I hope they’d be)…
1. Change stuff and piss people off.
You may be surprised that this is not only on Facebook’s New Years Resolutions, but it’s first. But really, it makes sense.
Facebook has perfected the art of changing stuff and pissing people off. In fact, they could make the smallest change — or even suggest there was a change that didn’t actually happen — and people would be pissed off.
It’s what they’re good at, so I wouldn’t expect them to change anytime soon.
And I’m glad they won’t. You can’t have progress without shaking things up and changing things. Facebook innovates through change (one is actually important for the other).
I kind of hope Facebook creates a 2008 version that anyone who hates change can go use and let the rest of us excite in technology. In the meantime, we’ll have to settle with all enjoying change and pissed off people.
2. Simplify the messaging.
This frustrates me to no end. I’m a Facebook fanboy (or “advocate”) and I feel like I never know what’s going on. Is this different today? Did Facebook make a change? It’s not easy staying on top of it all.
I realize that some of these things are simply tests, but it would do Facebook good to communicate these things. Keep a running list of all of the tests going on and examples of those tests. Maybe then we could also provide feedback on what we like (not that you necessarily need to listen to us).
When there’s a new launch, tell us. Explain it in layman’s terms. Use tooltips or something. But make it easier. You know, transparency and whatnot.
Facebook actually seemed to be making this attempt with the recent changes to privacy settings. That’s a start!
2b. Explain EdgeRank so that everyone understands.
Along the lines of explaining in basic terms, can you please just stop with the ambiguity around EdgeRank?
Facebook actually did an interesting interview with TechCrunch where they explained EdgeRank in terms that most data nerds understand — comparing it to Star Wars. But not nearly enough people read that.
Why should we have to read an article about TechCrunch to understand this? When I run a search in the Help Center for “EdgeRank” only one result comes up (and they don’t even call it EdgeRank!):
How does my news feed determine which content is most interesting?
The news feed algorithm uses several factors to determine top stories, including the number of comments, who posted the story, and what type of post it is (ex: photo, video, status update, etc.).
If you feel you’re missing stories you’d like to see or seeing stories in your news feed that you don’t want to see, use the different news feed controls to adjust your settings.
That’s it?? Come on, man!
I don’t understand the secrecy. If EdgeRank actually benefits us — which I claim it does — why not provide some insight into what it is, how it’s determined and how we can use it to help bring the content we want to our News Feed?
This would be good for not only users but marketers.
3. An unfiltered News Feed option.
Once you explain what EdgeRank actually is, show it in action! Provide an unfiltered News Feed option.
I know, this sounds crazy. I was initially opposed to this. But why not?
The thing is that no one would use it anyway. Facebook provides all kinds of useful stuff, but if it’s not the default setting it will be ignored (see privacy settings, lists and even the “Most Recent” filtering option).
So give us the option that no one will use. Put an end to the mystery. If EdgeRank really is good for us, we’ll look at it and say… “Huh. Yeah, this is crap!”
4. Restrictions on News Feed ads.
I’m a marketer. I run Facebook ads. I understand that the News Feed is gold.
But I’m also realizing that the News Feed may not be the right place for unsolicited advertising.
It’s not just because people hate the “friends of Fans” Promoted Posts and “Suggested Posts.” It’s that people clearly hate it and voice it so loudly in the comments of those posts.
Whenever I see these posts, I read the comments and have to wonder: “Does this really benefit the advertiser?” I can’t imagine it does.
So, I hope Facebook backtracks on this (seems unlikely, I know). Limit News Feed posts only to brands and people you are connected to.
5. Improve customer service and response.
My biggest pet peeve about Facebook is the horrible customer service. It’s impossible to figure out who to contact with a problem. When you do, no one responds or you get a half back response.
I hate that when people ask me a question about an obvious bug, I have to cringe when I suggest they contact Facebook. I know that is likely to be fruitless.
But luckily Facebook is making customer service one of their New Years resolutions!
6. A premium version for brands.
Now, I understand that #5 isn’t easy. You can’t just wave a magic wand and say, “Here it is! Great customer service!” There are over a billion active users, and part of the reason customer service is bad is because messaging and communication are already bad.
In some cases, you get what you pay for. So, for those of people who want to continue using Facebook for free, give them the regular crappy customer service.
But man… I invest quite a bit of time, money and resources into Facebook. Shouldn’t I have priority on customer service issues?
Last year, Facebook hinted at the possibility of premium features for brands. I’d absolutely pay a few extra bucks every month to get premium level customer service. Imagine real-time chat whenever you have a question. That would be great!
Maybe they could also build in some advertising every month. And I’m sure there are other great features that could be added in. Luckily this is one of Facebook’s resolutions, so we’ll find out what they have in mind soon!
What do you want to see?
There you have it. Facebook’s New Years Resolutions for 2013. What were you hoping to see on the list?
Let me know below!
