Ive definitely noticed a DECREASE in private realtime messages on Facebook between my contacts and I. (A couple of weeks ago I predicted that people would be upset with the change in the Facebook Mobile app that requires you to install Facebook Messenger if you want to continue. Once the 7 day grace period was up, I got a lot of messages from people expressing their outrage!) Heres why: 1) I have made the decision to not use Messenger (to Robert Scobles complete frustration no doubt, understandably) and because of that I do not have the ability to respond back to private threads and messages in realtime. If Im mobile, Im forced to open up the mobile web version of Facebook and then read and talk there. Usually Im busy, so the reminder to use Messenger just annoys me and I wander off to finish something Im already working on. Thus, people dont get an immediate response from me. 2) Other people have also made the decision to not use Messenger, either intentionally, or because theyre confused and arent power users (surprisingly, some people dont know how to use their devices all that well, especially people who are new to the smartphone concept still; we all have family like this Im sure). And because other people may not be using Messenger, my messages go sitting there unreviewed and unanswered. This compounds the problem. You would be surprised how many people are resisting the need to use Messenger like I am. Shockingly, I get faster turnaround from some of these people on email now. But the fallback to iMessage/SMS tends to really work best. Of course -- I could just GET OVER MYSELF and install Facebook Messenger, end this charade, and learn to switch between Facebook and Messenger like all the proponents say to do. I just might... but it all just still feels wrong. They broke what worked just fine for so many of us, and the gains are still so unclear. On a sidenote -- Im loving the new app Humin. And you should check it out.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 21:19:27 +0000