Facebook: Innovative or Annoying?

(The dorkishly endearing and yet omnipotent being that is Mark Zuckerberg)

There is a fine line between being innovative and being annoying. Facebook seems to have crossed this line. Repeatedly. I am not whining about it, or trying to sound like so many other boringly rant-filled bloggers out there, but I wanted to bring a phenomenon to people's attentions and provide a forum to discuss this fine line. 

From time to time Facebook updates its homepage, tools, and advertising methods. Anyone who knows good business knows it's essential to stay on top of things and be adaptable. However, there is a phrase that goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" that is just as valuable. That means that people who have a great product should be careful with tinkering with it too much because they can end up screwing themselves over. A change comparable to Facebook's constant overhauls would be if McDonald's constantly tried to sell Thai food or remix the special sauce in the Big Mac every other month. It's just not needed, and, it really doesn't make for a better product.

Inevitably I assume Facebook expects that its clients will just adapt to the changes as they always have. But, that most likely isn't because they think the new look, feel, or tools are that great, but because they have no choice.

I really don't have any solution. That's a bit sad. You might think that I would suggest a boycott, or a nude protest, or barraging Facebook with petitions of dissatisfaction coupled with packages of flaming dog excrement. 

Well, while you are welcome to consider those options and do them yourselves, I for one am going to just deal with it. I am just going to bow to the Facebook "man" Mark Zuckerberg. He is after all a billionaire online social networking God. He owns a little bit of my soul and the souls of almost a thousand of my friends. We do his bidding. All hail Zuckerberg! That has such a nice ring to it.

Humor My Rant

I am really angry. I don't know who to be angry with. I guess I am just mad and all general directions. If you are still reading, here is the story. . . .

The day that Jeff lost his job, we got a letter from the high school band letting us know about the spring trip. The temporary itinerary included things like Disney World, Wet and Wild theme park and The Blue Man Group. Four fun filled days in the sun of Florida for my 16 year old and his band geek friends. Jeff and I were both in the band and we know how awesome the spring trips can be. I went to Florida, Myrtle Beach, Montreal, and Atlanta each year of my high school experience. I LOVED the spring trips. So of course I wanted my son to have the same rights of passage that I enjoyed in my youth. However, the cost of the trip was about $500 for the parents to pony up. I told Sam that we would commit to the trip but that he would have to work to defray some of the cost. The boy has done NOTHING. AND I found out this week that because he didn't participate in the citrus fundraiser, there was a buy out cost of an additional $160.00. So on top of the $400 that I have already paid, I got a notice that the trip has increased in cost and I owe an additional $465 by the beginning of next month.

Who should I be mad at? Well, I am mad at myself for not putting the screws to my son. I did make him apply for 2 jobs which he never followed up on. I am mad at my son for having seemingly no ambition. I am mad at the band for making such an expensive band trip and then forcing families to participate in the fundraisers or have a $160 buy out fee. Now, I don't know what to do. I guess I'll be mad for a bit. If you have any suggestions on how best to use this opportunity to teach my son a lesson about responsibility, let me know.