Website Reformatting

Whenever facebook.com releases updates/changes to the layout, everyone reacts with "I hate new facebook" and "bring back the old format!". Over time I have gotten used the new formats, the most current one still confuses me when I want to find photo albums. Hopefully, the site doesn't get another makeover for at least a few months so that I can get the hang of things again.

Around the time of the latest facebook upgrade, twitter decided to reformat. There was an option to revert to old twitter, which I have been using religiously up until two days ago. I accidentally hit "see new twitter" and now when I try to "return to old twitter" the site refuses to load. Guess, I don't have a choice anymore and I need to get with the times.

I accept that social networking sites will revamp every now and again. What I wasn't prepared for was Gawker, Jezebel, Lifehacker, and the like to go from familiar and easy to busy, complicated, and unfriendly. The new site was released earlier this week, maybe Tuesday, and as soon as the page loaded I immediately checked to make sure I entered the correct web address. After confirming that I didn't load jezebell.com I attempted to scroll through the posts, got overwhelmed and immediately left. I wasn't sure if I should have been scrolling through the main section or whatever that is on the right.

Today, I returned to give the site the old college try. I was able to find a post I wanted to read, but then I went to read the comments at the bottom. WTF. Could not for the life of me understand what was happening down there. Comments are my favorite part! Realistically if the article is long but the headline is catchy, I have a tendency to skip down to see what the people are talking about. Sadly, it is as if these designers hate the comment section (and their readers) - these sites are just hot messes.

Normally, I get annoyed at revamped sites purely because my habits have to change. The facebook and twitter updates don't make it harder to read/update, they just make me look in a new spot. The Gawker/Jezebel/etc sites are actually giving me a headache. Too much in too little of a space. Please designers, think about doing some revisions.

It was in the stars

When the Social Network came out last year, I said I had no interest in going to see it. I further revised this statement and decided not only did I not want to pay for a movie ticket, but I didn't want to even watch it on HBO. In fact, the only way I would watch the flick is if I were on an airplane and it was free.

Well, thanks to Jetblue bribing me into a happier place after delaying my return flight, that exact situation fell into my lap. There I was at 7:40 am, just about to lift off and ready to spend the next few hours watching the story of facebook.

To be honest, I loved the opening scenes and the fast paced dialogue. In the end, the movie was enjoyable, but if I had to recommend my favorite movies of this past year, it wouldn't be in the top three (Inception, Despicable Me, Black Swan). If you have an afternoon to waste and have access to the film for free, I'd say go for it. Otherwise, if you haven't yet seen it, feel good knowing that your life is no less amazing than mine is now, it wasn't a life-changer or a breath-taker.

What's that humming noise?

That would be Google Buzz.

If you have dug your heels in hard and decided you were too cool for gmail, well, you might not know what the buzz is about. (Apologizing for the lame joke) But google decided that Twitter and Facebook were not enough for those who love to social network. To help us all express ourselves a little bit more, they released Google Buzz this week.

At first when I read about this new feature, I thought, why would I need this program? Twitter takes care of my 140 character or less thoughts and facebook lets me look at pictures. I feel exhausted updating status messages all over the place and I already have them in gchat.

Well, you know what? It is only day one and I am already hooked. Having a twitter like feature in my gmail makes life faster and easier. Now if I see something that I feel is share worthy, I don't put it in my chat status, I can use buzz - which is something I really do prefer. I liked changing the status messages but I hate that they interrupt gchats by showing up in the grayed out font.

We all know Google is pretty baller. Clearly, they want us to stay inside of the world of gmail as much as possible, and it is now my one stop shop for email, chatting and status updates. I am a very happy camper. They also opted to mimic facebook in that you can comment on other people's statuses. Perhaps they were just dying to use this function since it was part of Google Wave, and we all know that was a dud.

They allow for you to link in twitter, blogs, or picasso to your Buzz. I had highheelsshortskirt linked for the first few hours, but I have since delinked them. As much as I love that my friends read this blog, I don't want to stuff it down their every time I post. I think I might use the feature for the other blogs I have been playing around with but have yet to debut...

Eeeeep Facebook Warning: IMPORTANT

I just saw this posted by a friend on facebook. You probably will want to follow the directions so that your pictures are not used in advertisements. Do not worry, if you are my friend I have already done so, I wouldn't want any of those ridiculous photos to be property of anyone but me!

To ALL FRIENDS. Please pass this around! Facebook has agreed to let a third party advertiser use your posted pictures without your permission. Click on SETTINGS up at the top where you see the log out link. Select PRIVACY. Select NEWS FEEDS AND WALL. Select the tab that reads FACE BOOK ADS. There is a drop down box, select NO ONE. Then SAVE CHANGES.

FYI: This was their thinking:

Facebook occasionally pairs advertisements with relevant social actions from a user's friends to create Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads make advertisements more interesting and more tailored to you and your friends. These respect all privacy rules. You may opt out of appearing in your friends' Facebook Ads below.

Stop with the Quizzes

Today's Facebook is so different from the social college-only network site that began back when I was in undergrad. Some of the innovations have been fun, most are simply annoying. With the last update to the Home screen, way most shit I just don't care about is now listed. I can no longer see when my friends change their profile picture or make changes to their personal information, but know what I can tell? If they take a quiz.

These quizzes are so innane and random. Some are not even quizzes. One will tell you how common your birthday is, or so it claims. Out of curiousity I clicked on that one to see how this could possibly be considered a quiz. It asks you what month you were born in. Then instead asking you what exact date, it provides random choices. Some of these are a particular day, like the 4th, but other radial buttons contained a range like 20-24. If you choose a range answer, which I had to, it doesn't ask you to further narrow it down, the quiz ends and gives you an answer. I failed to see a) how this could be at all accurate and b) how this is a quiz....

I will admit to not only taking the "inner internationality quiz" but having to agree with the description. Apparently, I am Spanish.

Being Spanish means the following:

The world is your oyster. You are confident -- or at least, confident in your self-expression, and this often leads to confidence in all things. You love your friends and hate your enemies, and when you want something, you go out and get it. You are both bold and friendly, sunny and perspicacious. You laugh frequently, smile even more, but are not a sucker and will always fight for yourself.

Cool. I think this describes me well. I can't say I won't take a few more quizzes when I am completely bored out of my mind, but I don't think I will blogging about any more results.

An Era Ends

Due to new facebook, one of my 2+ years facebook poke wars has sadly come to an end. Since February 2007 I have been in a poke war with my best friend from home and an ex-roommate's younger brother. When facebook made their most recent layout changes, the notification of a poke was thrown way down at the bottom. I had almost missed the first return poke from the younger brother. My best friend seems to have lost the momentum, as it has been a few weeks now since I last saw a response.

Shakey fist to you facebook. Ruining a part of my routine like this!!! At least one of my foes was able to find that I had poked him back before the switch was made...

Facebook, I already am

Like everyone else, I do not like the new facebook layout.

But that is not the point of this post, but I felt I might need to start out with that statement.

Facebook has been asking me for the last few weeks to "become a fan of Anderson 360". Well, I don't know if I am going to ever become a fan of the news blog. (I am so far behind in my Google Reader, I do not need to add anything to it. Yep, currently I have 865 unread items) But I am a fan of the Silver Fox.

Sigh.