Winning? Not Today.

Le sigh. There's no winning.

Okay, so a few things about today's changes on Facebook. No doubt you've heard the complaints, the irritation, the rants, the vents, the general goings-on. If you didn't, you might be the only person on the planet - or you're not online.

I get that it's new. I get that it's different. I get that you liked "the old way". I get that you now have to "learn this". But seriously...c'mon, people. Think about this, as said beautifully by this someecards card:

Here's the thing: Facebook can't win with everyone. Think of it like road construction; we all bitch, moan and whine that it needs to be done - the potholes are terrible, they're eating our car, the government needs to fix this - and then we bitch, moan and whine when it's being done - it's an inconvenience, it makes our travel time longer, it's a pain to sit and wait. Let's be honest here, shall we? If the Facebook of September 21, 2011 looked exactly like and performed exactly like the Facebook of September 21, 2008, we'd all scream and curse and rant and rave that it was "behind the times", "outdated" and we'd ask what in the name of all things techie they were doing in those offices.

If you'd like to see a perfectly good example of what happens when a company stops innovating, take a look at RIM. There are many news stories out there all clearly illustrating that lagging behind has hurt this company more than anyone could have believed. Other companies moving ahead and doing new things that delight and captivate their customers means that the lack of the same at RIM is highlighted fantastically - though not so much for them. When they released their new lineup of phones just a few weeks ago, there were loud cries of "Too little, too late!" - I'm 150% certain that's not the reception they dreamed about the night before launch.

Maybe it's because I'm very much an online person, but I embrace changes like these. Facebook employs an entire team of developers and creative minds whose sole purposes with the company is to innovate and create change. As of July 2011, Facebook has more than 750 million active users. I find it pretty impossible to even suggest that a company that has amassed that sort of user-base doesn't know what it's doing. Even if you're not a fan of the platform, I think it's safe to surmise that they've got a grip on what's going to make their product better or worse. Maybe they could make their plans a little more publicly known, sure - but as I said to a friend (on Facebook, no less), why should they bother? They're not going to drop from 750 million users down to 14 individuals because they didn't hold a press conference before rolling out changes. People will adapt, the same as they always do, and in a week's time no one will remember what September 20, 2011's Facebook looked or behaved like.

The changes are here. Why not spend time getting to know them, find out what's nifty, helpful, interesting or new and embrace them? That's what I'll be doing.

What are your thoughts? Should we expect a message every time a free service/platform upgrades? I'd love to know what you think!

You Realize It's Winter....Right?

Let me say this first: I know I'm probably guilty of it too. I try not to complain about the snow and sleet and ice, but somewhere around the fifth storm of the season my little brain just snaps and that's that. I don't know if it's the salt rings on my jeans and shoes or that one wet glove that never quite dries, but at some point it happens; the complaining begins.

The media makes it worse. Coining terms like "Snowmageddon", "SnOMG" and "Snopacolypse" help make the hype of every storm feel like "The Big One". Truth is, most of us haven't seen a good old fashioned snow storm in years - they just don't make 'em like they used to. I will admit to finding it interesting that places where people have never seen snow are now getting it...global warming? I don't know, I'm no expert. I just think it's interesting.

So what is it that makes us, especially here in Canada where harsh winters with lots of snow are the norm, complain so much about it? I think it's because we expect each other to, plain and simple. When you live in a climate that gets as cold and icy as ours does, talking about (and complaining about) the weather evolves into a national past-time. It's like hockey; you're going to talk about it, you're going to defend your team even though you know they're horrible and you're going to complain about the calls. That's just the way it is! (Are my Maple Leafs' roots showing?)

It's simple: It's Canada. It's February. This isn't difficult math - we know it's going to snow, we know it's going to blow and howl and be cold and miserable. We know we'll be snowblowing and shoveling and trying to find our cars in snowdrifts. We do this every year; we're pros! We'll expect it, we'll practically be able to smell the snow coming (hey, don't laugh...some of us can do that!), we'll moan and groan over snow days and kids home from school...but we're going to complain about it.

It's the Canadian way to handle winter, eh?