If you're addicted to Facebook like nearly a billion other users, then you're probably crying foul and asking the social networking titans for a plausible explanation. The sudden implementation of facebook.com e-mail service, a unilateral move by the company to replace existing e-mail addresses on the Timeline, has enraged users.
This move is amongst a series of alterations to the site's look and feel, its privacy settings, and user interface. However, Facebook is facing severe criticism for changing contact information on profile pages without any intimation or warning to the user. What's more this modification has been executed to popularize the new facebook.com e-mail addresses; concealing the previously listed other domain e-mail addresses like Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo et al in the process. Luckily, an option to hide the default Facebook e-mail is available to users and they can restore their original contact information.
Scampering steadily towards almost a billion users, guerrilla marketing tactics have become a norm for Facebook to galvanize its presence and the recent launch of Facebook e-mail is yet another step in that direction. To act and later apologize is slowly becoming synonymous with Facebook's operational strategies. In its defence, a Facebook spokesman stated that the e-mail change was announced earlier in April this year and should not come as a surprise.
The introduction of e-mail addresses is believed to be a slice of the bigger pie. Analysts believe that a more comprehensive revamp of the Facebook messaging system is on the cards. This system would aim at creating a "unified inbox", which would collate e-mails, texts, and online chats on a single page. In 2011, Facebook had given a peek into the plan and some users had embraced the new addresses. However, post the weekend, most users were astonished to find altered profile addresses. Forbes headline on its post "Facebook's Lame Attempt to Force Its Email Service on You," sums up user sentiments effectively.
Facebook holds a different view on this issue. "I'm seeing this whole meme around the idea that it's us pushing for people only to use facebook.com addresses. That was not our intention. We want people to use whatever's easier for them," said Meredith Chin, Facebook's manager of product communications.
In a statement, the company also asserted that "we've been updating addresses on Facebook to make them consistent across our site. In addition to everyone receiving an address, we're also rolling out a new setting that gives people the choice to decide which addresses they want to show on their timelines."
The disdainful attitude of the company should not come as a surprise. In 2006, when faced with similar backlash for introducing news feed, pundits had exhorted that Facebook had dug their own grave and this would be its swan song. There was much ado surrounding news feed and how it would intrude on privacy and personal space. Six years down the line, Facebook is going strong with the privacy-invasive news feed as one of its most popular features!
Even the mandatory roll-out of the new Timeline profile had met with negative user reactions. Facebook has learnt from past experiences that users may grumble initially, but finally give in. The traffic to the site remains unaffected despite the user whining and its near-dictatorial approach.
It seems "change is the only constant" is an axiom which social media giants like Facebook seem to have adopted with boundless zeal. However, a little lesson in manners and protocol would do the trigger-happy biggies no harm!
