Facebook Would Thrive if it Only Listened to Its Users
Recently I came across an article from Casey Johnston in which she discusses the big drop in traffic for brands on Facebook and the theory that this social media site is "broken on purpose". In her articled titled "Is Facebook "broken on purpose" to Sell Promoted Posts", Casey says that no matter who is to blame, both brands and Facebook have a part to play in adjusting this dilemma. Facebook has to find a way to please both brands AND users, while brands have the responsibility of posting updates that their followers actually want to see, as PrintPlace.com points out.
I found Casey's point rather insightful, and scrolled down to the comments to see what everyone else was saying. This is where my research really got interesting. A lot of Facebook users seem to have some great insight into what needs to happen to "fix" Facebook. And the suggestions can be found all over the web. Coming from brands and individuals alike, comments regarding Facebook's many problems range from utter disgust to mild dislike. No matter the tone, most seem quite helpful in giving suggestions to Facebook for improving user experiences. So why isn't Facebook listening?
The Unlike Suggestion
One commenter named Pinkerton on Johnston's article mentions that the public library for which this person works saw a huge drop in reach in only a few months - a one-half to two-thirds decrease. And all that the library posts about are upcoming events. This commenter suggests that Facebook simply stop getting involved in managing which posts are seen. If Facebook users do not want to see anymore posts from a brand, then they can simply click the "unlike" button.
The Hierarchy System
DevlinB from Johnston's article suggests a hierarchy system, of sorts. This commenter asks why Facebook can't set up a way for users to choose brands they always want to see updates from and put the others in a list they only want to see updates from occasionally. Maybe Facebook should come up with another button, such as a "Kind of Like". Of course, this doesn't solve the problem of Facebook still getting their hands in everyone's feed.
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