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kaen ([info]kaen) wrote in [info]otf_wank,
@ 2010-02-13 14:59:00


Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
ReadWriteWeb is a blog hosting articles about various internet products and trends, including social networking sites. On Wednesday they posted a short article about Facebook partnering with AOL.

Right now you're probably thinking the wank is something about the partnership. That wouldn't be nearly as funny as what actually ends up happening.

The first comment, while not wankish in itself, is a sign of things to come: "Ok If I have to I will comment,I love facebook so right now just want to log in if thats ok with you..lol Keep up the good work..."

Soon the comments start flooding in from people thinking that they're on Facebook and demanding to be allowed to log in, many jumping straight to rage against this new "redesign" such as this woman: "I am going to delete my account (IF I CAN EVER LOG IN) as this SUCKS BIG TIME ! If this does not get back to NORMAL you are going to lose a lot of folks who hate this and as you can see from all the comments they think it sucks too !!! facebook was great for connecting with old friends ...now, NOT SO MUCH. SO HOW DO I LOG IN ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????"

By page three people are wondering if the blog is being trolled, but one of the site maintainers has found the problem! Looking at their traffic stats, she's discovered that they're suddenly getting hits from a bunch of people searching Google for "facebook login". Yes, they're suddenly being flooded by people who don't know how to get to Facebook without searching Google for it. And the article was steadily creeping up the results list all day.

Around this time a big bold paragraph is added to the article informing people that the site is not Facebook, and providing anyone who needs them with links to get there and a suggestion to bookmark the real Facebook login page.

This doesn't help. And, though most people following the thread are amused by what's going on, at the same time the other side of the wank is forming; people who are getting increasing annoyed at the Facebook commenters for ignoring all the people telling them they're not at Facebook, for instance "Wow!

I mean just WOW!
.... are people really this f**king stupid, and they rely so blindly on whatever the first link google throws up.

This is NOT facebook you clowns. How god damn retarded are you."

Three days, 27 pages later, and a smattering of news articles later and it's still going on, but at this point the people trying to get to Facebook have tapered off and it's just the people frothing at the mouth about them left.



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[info]dragonfangirl
2010-02-13 11:31 pm UTC (link)
Someone linked that article to me, and for a long time I was confused as to why, since for once in a long time I was actually good and obeyed the first rule of the internet: don't read the comments. OH WHAT HAVE I MISSED.

(Reply to this)


[info]varethane
2010-02-13 11:42 pm UTC (link)
Wow.

How did these people ever even manage to make their facebook accounts in the first place?!

(Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - [info]reeve, 2010-02-14 12:39 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]snarp, 2010-02-15 12:38 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]harukami, 2010-02-16 04:32 am UTC

[info]persona
2010-02-13 11:43 pm UTC (link)

(Reply to this)


[info]deliciouschaos
2010-02-13 11:44 pm UTC (link)

(Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - [info]tez, 2010-02-14 04:38 am UTC

[info]jkefka
2010-02-13 11:47 pm UTC (link)
.

(Reply to this)


[info]cmdr_zoom
2010-02-13 11:51 pm UTC (link)
Make something idiot-proof and they will invent a better class of idiot.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - [info]jkefka, 2010-02-14 12:39 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]snarkhunter, 2010-02-14 03:32 am UTC

[info]dejana
2010-02-13 11:53 pm UTC (link)
...wow. Just WOW.

I always assumed in this age of rampant tech devices and web services that people actually knew what the fuck they were doing when they used them. Apparently the idiot ratio remains stable, if not worse.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - [info]librarianmouse, 2010-02-14 05:03 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]dejana, 2010-02-14 05:57 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]mary_mac, 2010-02-17 11:32 am UTC

tetradecimal
2010-02-13 11:58 pm UTC (link)
Dear Real Life:

Please stop imitating The Onion.

(Reply to this)


[info]sepiamagpie
2010-02-14 12:01 am UTC (link)
T-that doesn't even look like facebook.

Brb, attack of the giggles.

(Reply to this)


[info]dark_puck
2010-02-14 12:04 am UTC (link)

(Reply to this)


[info]scifantasy
2010-02-14 12:28 am UTC (link)
The blog Daring Fireball, which a friend of mine pointed me to, had an interesting comment:

...it’s a fascinating glimpse at just how confused many people are about how web sites and browsers work. They don’t use bookmarks, they don’t type “facebook.com” in the location field. They just Google for whatever they’re looking for and assume the first result is correct.


My friend went further--he argued that many people don't even actively Google, they just type into the location bar of "the internet," read: their browsers, and the browsers do the automatic Googling (which most do when words are entered into the location bar), and these people have no idea whatsoever what is what.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - [info]scifantasy, 2010-02-14 12:29 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]edelweiss, 2010-02-14 12:52 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]keri, 2010-02-14 12:54 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ardath_rekha, 2010-02-14 01:00 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]snarkhunter, 2010-02-14 03:34 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]sheep, 2010-02-14 12:18 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]msmanna, 2010-02-14 12:56 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]librarianmouse, 2010-02-14 05:08 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]moosecharmer, 2010-02-16 07:03 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]keri, 2010-02-14 12:56 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]amaresu, 2010-02-14 01:44 am UTC
(no subject) - ariadne484, 2010-02-14 03:18 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]amaresu, 2010-02-14 03:27 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]iamnotyourmuse, 2010-02-14 03:47 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]mcity, 2010-02-14 11:57 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]agent_hyatt, 2010-02-15 08:19 am UTC
America's executives: Our best and brightest minds in motion. - [info]issendai, 2010-02-15 09:30 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]dragonfangirl, 2010-02-14 05:43 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]lied_ohne_worte, 2010-02-14 07:20 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]moosecharmer, 2010-02-16 07:13 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]adevyish, 2010-02-14 07:29 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]mcity, 2010-02-14 11:59 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]adevyish, 2010-02-15 12:10 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]tangentialone, 2010-02-14 08:34 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]zing_och, 2010-02-14 09:37 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]violetsquirrel, 2010-02-14 01:46 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]adevyish, 2010-02-14 08:41 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]coffeebun, 2010-02-15 04:24 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]adevyish, 2010-02-15 06:59 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]witty, 2010-02-14 03:38 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]keleri, 2010-02-14 06:06 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]notjo, 2010-02-14 06:23 pm UTC

[info]melannen
2010-02-14 12:34 am UTC (link)

(Reply to this)


[info]keri
2010-02-14 12:40 am UTC (link)
That is amazing.

It's difficult for me to really comprehend how it's possible to be so internet illiterate, because I've practically grown up with the dang thing and don't really spend time with people who aren't familiar with it, but here's an example right in front of me! Really amazing.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - [info]yoritomo_reiko, 2010-02-14 01:36 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]snarkhunter, 2010-02-14 03:35 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]rosalita, 2010-02-14 02:18 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]bolboreta, 2010-02-14 05:02 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]librarianmouse, 2010-02-14 08:58 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]rosalita, 2010-02-14 09:18 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]librarianmouse, 2010-02-14 08:58 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]rosalita, 2010-02-14 09:18 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]cmdr_zoom, 2010-02-15 05:17 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]librarianmouse, 2010-02-15 03:55 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]cmdr_zoom, 2010-02-15 05:41 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]adevyish, 2010-02-14 08:45 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]varethane, 2010-02-14 10:09 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]moosecharmer, 2010-02-16 07:17 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]limyaael, 2010-02-16 11:51 am UTC

[info]keri
2010-02-14 12:50 am UTC (link)
also, I didn't use one of my several facepalm icons before (or even my SUPER DESPAIR SENSEI ones), and now I feel out of place as I scroll down the comments. >.> THIS IS TO FIX IT.

And to say YAY for the post and bringing it to my attention, because I hadn't heard about it and it's something that's really relevant for one of my classes this semester, since it's an example of some of the things we're talking about with users not knowing how to search and ways to make the search results better without making the process too difficult for them and blahblahblah. So I posted some of the links and maybe I'll get a smiley face or gold star on my virtual report card. ;)

(Reply to this)


[info]mindset
2010-02-14 01:03 am UTC (link)

(Reply to this)


[info]hallidae
2010-02-14 01:07 am UTC (link)
God, I've needed a laugh like this all week.

(Reply to this)


[info]sarracenia
2010-02-14 01:08 am UTC (link)
...Wow. Cue the spammers trying to googlebomb their way to the top of Google's search results for Paypal login, if they haven't already been.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - [info]adevyish, 2010-02-14 06:14 am UTC

[info]ladybirdsleeps
2010-02-14 01:13 am UTC (link)
This makes me wonder how many other people we could confuse if we managed to make a different page the first result for "twitter login."

(Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - [info]sandglass, 2010-02-14 02:39 am UTC

[info]risha
2010-02-14 01:14 am UTC (link)

(Reply to this)


[info]beejium
2010-02-14 02:06 am UTC (link)
Just wanted to join the facepalming party.

(Reply to this)


[info]rosehiptea
2010-02-14 02:31 am UTC (link)
I used to work in a place that was mentioned in a small local newspaper, and we had a big copy of the article out in the front window. One day a very confused lady walked in asking about her subscription, and we had to explain that no, we were not the newspaper.

Then again in all honesty I have to confess I google "House" every time I want to see if there's a new House episode that week. But I make sure I have the right site.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - [info]kaen, 2010-02-14 02:46 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]coffeebun, 2010-02-14 05:34 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]cmdr_zoom, 2010-02-14 06:02 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]perletwo, 2010-02-17 06:35 am UTC

[info]amaresu
2010-02-14 02:45 am UTC (link)
That comment thread is the most tragic thing I've read in days and I can't stop laughing.

(Reply to this)


[info]catmoran
2010-02-14 02:48 am UTC (link)
I wonder how many of my relatives are in that comment thread...

/headdesk

(Reply to this)


[info]smashingstars
2010-02-14 03:02 am UTC (link)
I think I'm about to ask a very stupid question: Why are there so many blank comments on this post? I may be missing a new trend/meme thing, as I haven't had time to log in for a couple of weeks.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - [info]ghostmaster, 2010-02-14 03:14 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]smashingstars, 2010-02-14 10:14 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]platedlizard, 2010-02-14 05:24 am UTC

[info]ghostmaster
2010-02-14 03:07 am UTC (link)

(Reply to this)



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