Why Social Networking is NOT all that Great

By Carly

Yes, I said it.

WAIT! Don’t get me wrong. I’m obsessed with Facebook and Twitter. I’ve recently discovered Tumblr, and I’m a WordPress fanatic. I post regularly to various forums and blogs that appeal to my interests. I love the Internet and being able to connect with people in a variety of ways.

But sometimes all of the above is a bigger pain than an asset.

This is mostly because, due to rapid growth, both Facebook and Twitter have a tendency to run slowly. Also (again most likely due to growth), both sites are prime targets for hackers. Sometimes I just want to see what my friends are up to without having to wait thirty minutes or being hit on by someone in the adult entertainment industry.

Here are my five suggestions on how social networking sites can make their services simpler. Keep in mind this is based purely on my personal opinion.

Keep it simple. Facebook and Twitter keep testing new interfaces in an effort to keep up with their growing memberships. This doesn’t really bother me either way, but just to stop everyone else from complaining – uh, guys? Just leave well enough alone.
Have customer service! Obviously this is a big deal for me. So far, Twitter seems to be somewhat decent in this department, but when my Facebook account was hacked earlier this year, I was not impressed by the slow, impersonal service provided. Hello, Facebook? You’re a social site. Try showing some personality and caring for those who made you successful! (WordPress has AWESOME customer service, FYI.)
Make it personal. For many of these sites, the personal profile is the main part for subscribers. Allow more options to be added so that personal profiles can become as, well, personal as users desire.
Make it searchable. No site I’ve been to offers a good search function. Maybe Google needs to take over. For many of the searches on these sites, you have to have the exact term, or you won’t get what you were looking for.
If you want to grow, and you expect growth, then plan for growth. Twitter, I’m looking at you. I love the Fail Whale, but don’t always love seeing him.

Now, most of these sites are free so I shouldn’t be complaining. And as I mentioned earlier, I’m not really complaining – I use these sites constantly. But these are my suggestions on how to turn a positive experience into the simply sublime.

What are your likes and dislikes about social networking sites? How would you improve?