Facebook hasn’t been only an upgrade for me from Friendster but it’s been a way for me to keep in close contact with my friends. So much so, I’m really grateful for its birthday reminders – though hidden on the right side.
Whenever a friend’s birthday is today, I’d visit their wall to post a simple but thoughtful birthday greeting to them. During this time, Facebook upgraded a birthday person’s wall as an optional virtual gift purchase. I’ve always ignored it because I see no value of a virtual gift.
Facebook Plays Hardball
I think Facebook knew many users (especially us kiam-sap “selfish” Malaysians) weren’t purchasing vritual gifts often. So they upgraded the system yet again.
This time, they renamed the “share” button to “buy gift”. I was so used to typing into the wall and clicking share that I was shocked to find this.
The only way now you can get around this is by closing this option. Forcing you to click the “X” on the box so it becomes a normal wall message.
Whether it’s a user experience upgrade to improve their virtual gift options, I personally doubt it. But what I know is, they’ve made it even more cumbersome to wish my friends happy birthday by having to close the option first before sharing it.
Why Facebook? Why?