31 March, 2012

TechPinas

TechPinas

I Hate Facebook Timeline, I Want to Get My Old FB Page Layout Back!

Posted: 31 Mar 2012 01:35 PM PDT

TechPinas Founder Notes: "Facebook Rant"

I promise you: This Timeline thingy could well cause the complete and irredeemable collapse and downfall of Facebook. In fact, it's already starting --


Facebook has been losing millions of users ever since Timeline was implemented on all user accounts late last year. (Graph Source: Compete)

As if the timing of the downward inflection in FB traffic isn't enough a sign that Timeline could be the main culprit for the steadily diminishing interest of users in Facebook, the "layout" today went live for all Facebook Pages, shoved down the throats of all Page owners -- even those who don't particularly want it, like me.


Oh, I hate it. I'm forced to use it on my personal account and now, I have to use it on the TechPinas Community Page!

I honestly thought that the layout was kinda cute when Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Timeline September last year. He had his dog on the cover and everything appeared organized; Timeline sure looked promising then.

But the more I use it now, the more I despise it. And I have at least three reasons why.

1. It has a major glitch of not showing some of my recent posts. Earlier, I shared a Youtube link and posted a status update on my page and they're now nowhere to be seen. I keep refreshing the page to no avail. Now, imagine if you accidentally shared something on your Timeline - something crazy, wild or morally distasteful - and you can't take it back simply because you can't even find the post. That'd be an utter disaster, right?

2. It shows posts and mentions from a year back right at the top fold. I know Facebook is good for nostalgia but that's just too much.


3. The two-column layout can be confusing and takes a bit of getting used to -- especially if you're the type who wants everything straight-forward and organized. Honestly, I think it's far from being user-friendly. Heck, for me, it's totally cluttered with stuff that don't really need to be there; It's such a 'high-maintenance' layout and I hate it. The former simple single-column layout was good enough, I think; I miss it actually. I want it back.

So what exactly do I want from Facebook team? Well, they need to quit surprising users with design changes that take the joy out of using Facebook and start offering options. Allow us to fix our own pages the way we want to; Give us tools; Let us customize and personalize our Facebook space. I think that'd a better strategy to engage users on the site more.

I know Facebook is big & all; Looks stable & unbeatable. But these days, you'll never know.

Google Map Makers Summits in the Philippines - Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 11:11 PM PDT

TechPinas Public Service Post (TP PSP)

TP Friends, our friends from Google will holding a series of Google Map Maker Summits in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao this April to help Philippine tourism and disaster preparedness.

This presents an ideal opportunity for all stakeholders to learn more about this Google product and to find out ways on how they can maximize the benefits of the service for their own projects and ventures.


To kick off the mapUps for tourism and health establishments, we are inviting mapUp organizers, mappers, business owners and government agencies to attend this workshop.

All training sessions are free. But attendees are advised to bring their laptops so they can join the hands-on sessions.

Here are the schedules:

April 12, 2012
Bacolod, University of St. La Salle
For more details and to register, check out this link.

April 14, 2012
Baguio, University of Baguio
For more details and to register, check out this link.

April 21, 2012
General Santos City
For more details and to register, check out this link.

For more announcements, please join the Mapping the Philippines mailing list and follow the page here.

Again, if you wish to attend kindly register at the link for your location provided above.
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