In the News - Social Networking Sites

Karina's presentation today drew attention to those who are upset about changes to the design off Facebook. The author of the article she links to states that any change to something used by so many people will necessarily leave some unhappy. Facebook has allowed users to opt out of the new design, which may make some users happy, although this may mean some people will not have the same functionality as those using the new design. Allowing this choise decreases usability, since visitors to the site will need to remember how to navigate two different design layouts.

Some have stated that the new design is geared toward making more space for advertisements, which is always a possibility. To think that the owners of Facebook are not motivated by rpofit would seem naive, although our reading for class today stated that it is a myth to think that money is good motivation for creative work. I guess it depends as to whether you see this new design as being a result of creativity. I think it is likely that many new products and services emerge from creative work that does not have profit as its primary motive. But it may be less true that modifications to those products and services later on probably have profit more in mind than the original creation.

Google is an example of a company that has found ways to promote all sorts of creative applications, even while being a successful business. Perhaps their philosophy "Do not be evil" has something to do with their willingness to look past the profit motive.