Filed under: Design, Developer, News, Web services, Social Software
Facebook users fight back against new Facebook applications
Starting to get annoyed with all the requests to add this or that useless Facebook application? You're not alone. Groups of users are popping up all over to protest the slow drift towards Myspace-uselessness land that Facebook has begun since opening its platform to every Tom, Dick and Harry. Inside Facebook writes, "this counter-platform movement is certainly not going to have any long-lasting traction" although we're not so sure. Facebook was once a place of refuge from the assault and battery on your eyeballs that is Myspace, but increasingly that safe place is becoming more and more like its most loved and despised competitor.
All we know is, the next person to "Super Poke" us is getting it back, right in the eye.
After spending the better part of an hour on 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Hobofuzz said 6:02PM on 6-20-2007
Bah, people need to shut the hell up and stop whining. I'm sick of all this "It's going to turn Facebook into Myspace!" crap. Who cares if many apps are useless? It's an open platform, available to anyone with time and patience. If developers want to create "useless" apps, they have every right to do so. Facebook is a community site, and everyone has the freedom to create and use any app they want. All these people whining about Facebook turning into Myspace need to get off their high-horse. There's nothing elite about being on Facebook, so stop acting like you're better than those on Myspace just because you have a Facebook.
Reply
Brian Farney said 6:44PM on 6-20-2007
The reason that we don't want facebook to turn into myspace is because we don't want a retarded commercialized social networking space full of spyware, viruses, and adds.
The big deal about facebook (used to be) that you had to have some type of confirmation to join, that way not everybody could join.
when you get on myspace you have no idea if the person/profile you are looking at is anywhere near the actual creator of that profile. Not that facebook is perfect but its a whole lot closer than myspace.
Reply
Rodney Rumford said 8:03PM on 6-20-2007
Interesting to hear 2 different takes on the facebook issue.
Some of the new apps are not very useful at all. Some are very useful. We are trying to filter out the garbage and review and rate these new applications so that people can make informed choices for which applications to use on facebook.
You can read more at http://www.facereviews.com
Cheers!
Rodney Rumford
Reply
Eric said 8:30PM on 6-20-2007
I suggest staying in your own little University network and don't venture out. Out there, it's not safe.
Reply
Made in DNA said 10:20PM on 6-20-2007
FaceBook is as every bit as useless as MySpace, perhaps even moreso as the interface is stunningly worthless and nigh incomprehensible.
Reply
kojo87 said 10:36PM on 6-20-2007
most of the new apps blow but some are tolerable. as long as Facebook doesnt lose the standardized and clean cut interface i will be happy. its way better than Myspace especially with an ad blocker.
and i really have no idea what DNA is talking about. the menus are fine!
Reply
Jeff said 10:54PM on 6-20-2007
This is the equivalent of Mac vs. Microsoft
Facebook was clean, sharp, styled. It was free of junk, of useless apps (many of them that do the same thing.) Free of friend requests from unknowns, ads, and privacy that was customized incredibly.
Now - it's not. It's Myspace. Imagine Mac becoming like Windows. That's the problem here.
It's not whining. There were reasons that the majority joined Facebook. It was not to have another networking option, another "MySpace." It was to NOT have a MySpace.
And - that's not true any longer, and I'm not so sure it's going to go backwards.
Anyone know of the next "Facebook" the way it used to be???
Reply
JBCheese said 2:16AM on 6-21-2007
when your making billons of dollars a year cant you just leave it at that?
greed is not the american dream.
Reply
soniiic said 7:19AM on 6-21-2007
You have the choice of adding or not adding applications to clutter up your own profile, so if you dislike it don't add it!
Also if you're complaining that your friend's profile is too cluttered, then tell them about it
Reply
Diddle said 3:13PM on 6-21-2007
I disagree with the Mac vs. PC argument, it's not like that at all.
As a former MySpace user who abandoned ship because the community became an abortion of web design laden with horrible sense of style and multiple crappy media files loading every time you load a person's profile. Controlling who saw what on your profile was difficult (it was all or nothing) and "friends"? Ha. Yeah, I was "friends" with numerous bands and companies. MySpace has become an advertising whore where anyone and their dog (yes, plenty of dogs have their own page) puts garbage online.
At least with Facebook everything is (was) kept lean and sleek and there is a level of control and responsibility. Its primary function is social networking. I've found it great to reconnect with friends I'd lost touch with since my youth.
Now, I must admit that with any application or website, change and improvement comes over time - the first incarnation of Facebook most likely didn't have things like the Wall but I don't see how features like the community postings (classified ads) make Facebook a better social network; Craigslist is for selling things.
I've truly come to think of the two sites this way... MySpace is for the 8-18 crowd what Facebook is for the 19-35 crowd, we use the sites in different ways. Take note, Facebook.
Reply
Diddle said 3:17PM on 6-21-2007
(Okay, I'm not a tard, just didn't complete my original thought in the 2nd paragraph above and there's no edit feature.) :o
Reply