March 24, 2009 by Matt Thomas
However real the anger of Facebook users at the new layout, there is not much that they can actually do about it. So far the threats have, by and large, only extended to day long boycotts or petitions delivered to the California head office. Very few Facebook users have actually threatened to leave the site over the redesign.
So, are Facebook worried about this new level or anger from their users?
In the short term, probably not. Facebook are well aware of the strength of their product. It’s one of those that marketers dream of, whereby the more you use it, i.e., the more friends you have, the more events you plan, the more you need it to socialise with your friends and plan your life. Put simply, it’s so good a marketing prospect that the only other products I can think of that behave like it are illegal.
The long and short of it is this. Facebook know that their users can’t ditch Facebook without also ditching their entire network of friends, all their carefully crafted content, all their photos etc. or convincing their entire social group to switch to a rival like Bebo – a logistical nightmare.
Facebook users know this too, that’s why none of them have threatened to leave, this makes their protests little more than empty posturing.
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