Recent changes to Facebook created a storm of comments along the lines of “why doesn’t Facebook leave well enough alone?” But to be honest, over the years, if Facebook had left well enough alone it would likely not be the leader in social media that it is today.
One of the signs of a successful and enduring business is the ability and willingness to respond to a changing business climate and the needs and wants of its clients. The inability to do this has doomed many a business, large and small.
For Facebook, change (and not changing) is more risky. The changes they introduce generally force their customers to have to think a bit more about what they’re doing when they use Facebook. What customers once did on autopilot they now have to re-learn. This creates frustration and angst among many.
While the changes have been done to make the Facebook experience better for customers, personal and business, in the short term it can feel to many clients like they are simply looking for ways to make life more difficult.
Fortunately for Facebook their competition in the marketplace is virtually non-existent, for now. Google+ is not a serious contender yet and Facebook is the undoubted King of the Hill when it comes to social media.
While the recognized world leader in social media Facebook is wise enough to know that standing still and resting on their laurels won’t cut it in today’s fast-paced world. Yes, they are the leader, they know it, and they also know that staying ahead of the curve is critical to retaining their edge in social media.
For these reasons Facebook had no choice but to forge ahead with change. They knew that in the short term many would be outraged and that in the long term these same fans would come around once they became used to the new ways. After all, at this time, there is no real competitor to Facebook.