My freelance company, Manifest Development, has a new face! Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working on a new website that accomplished a few specific goals: have a cleaner design that integrates the new logo, have a theme that is more general and easier to update, and be more blog friendly. I think I’ve managed to hit all of those goals.
If you’ve read my blog before you know I’ve been a pretty big fan and defender of Facebook. When they rolled out their big changes earlier this year I more or less told people to deal with it; but to be honest I understood why they complained. It was a full interface change and people didn’t immediately see the benefits. However, I was pretty surprised to see complaints and grumblings about Facebook adding a username. This is not an update that changes how you browse Facebook or adds any new information. It’s change that you more or less see once on your end and then it makes how you find people and how people find you easier.
Here is the main reason for the username: it’s a pain in the ass to give someone your facebook profile link. Where on Twitter it’s, “check me out- twitter.com/jcasabona” on Facebook it was “facebook.com/proflie.php?id=20034562.” You tell me which is easier. So now, you add a username and it’s, “check me out- facebook.com/jcasabona.” Simple. And there is an argument that people will make up stupid usernames and it won’t be as easy to find them, but that’s only their loss. And the username isn’t enabling people to be dishonest about their name. If they want to give a fake name, they’ll give it.
The real issue is that people are ready to criticize Facebook for every change they make now instead of thinking the added feature or UI update through. If they think other services aren’t going to make changes, they are wrong. Web Apps evolve and change based on the current state of the Internet and how most users user their app. All I ask as a web developer, nay- as a user!- is that before you jump on the Facebook hate bandwagon you ask, “Why did they do this?”
*Cross posted on Cognition Media’s Gears Blog. For those who don’t know, a few friends and I won some funding to start a company in Scranton, PA. The follow post is an update on our progress.
May was a big month for the Cognition Media team. We found out that we received funding to start this business and got put on the fast track to get the ball rolling. On top of that, all three of us were winding down with school and at the end of the month we all graduated. Now that we are officially done with school, it’s time to get down to business.
We are currently in the process of incorporating, which should take place within the next two weeks. In the mean time, we are launching the world’s first Minvera driven site. After a short training session Kristen and I are giving to our Alma mater, we are officially launching the new face of burkecatholic.org. More on that when it happens. Meanwhile, Matt and I have begun planning the cooler features of Minvera- the course management features. Development on all of that will begin early next week.
All-in-all the entire Cognition Media team is very excited to have this oppertunity and hope we can truely make a difference in helping high schools upgrade their technology to make them more efficient and well connected- both to the Internet and the community.
Get the exact framework I used to go from burnt out to taking 6 weeks off to spend with family in less than 12 months Join my mailing list: