There's no going back

Change is inevitable, and often unexpected. So what do you do when faced with changes you don’t want?

Transcript

This is Leo Notenboom for askleo.info.

A couple of months ago I started getting a rash of complaints from MSN
Hotmail users. They had been switched to the new Windows Live Hotmail. It’s the
same service with an updated user interface and feature set.

The folks complaining didn’t want to switch. Many didn’t like the change
just because it was change; they saw it as Microsoft fixing something that
wasn’t broken. Many more simply didn’t like the new user interface, preferring
the old one instead.

And both camps simply wanted to go back.

Today I got a similar complaint about Yahoo. Apparently they’ve revised some
portion of their interface in a way that some users don’t like.

He wanted to go back.

Sorry.

There’s no going back.

This is one of the hidden “gotcha’s” we don’t often think about when using
on-line services. The fact is that we’re totally at the mercy of the service
provider. If they want to change something, they can, they do, and they have no
obligation to allow us to switch back.

Now, I do understand the service providers point of view: they need to keep
innovating and improving in order to stay competitive. That implies, heck it
requires, change. And no matter what you change, someone won’t like it. You
might be improving your service, and some number of your customers will
disagree. Strongly. They’ll insist that you’re not improving anything, that in
fact you’re breaking things.

In fact the only thing that’s being broken here are expectations.

But I also understand the perspective of many users: change isn’t always
necessary or even desired.

Unfortunately things will change, and no, you can’t go back. All you can
really do is vote with your feet: stop using the service you dislike and find
one you can live with. Be it a paid or free service, that’s often the only
language service providers understand. And even then, if you’re in the
minority, if most people like the new whatever-it-is, then you’re the moral
equivalent of collateral damage.

There really is no pleasing everyone.

So what can you do? Well, with online services not a lot. Leaving’s
about it. If you’re using an online equivalent of a desktop application, like
email, then perhaps you’d be better off using the desktop equivalent. You won’t
be able to completely avoid change, but at least more of it will be in your
control.

Just ask anyone who’s running a 10-year-old email program. Lots of things
have changed.

But they haven’t.

At least, not yet.

I’d love to hear what you think. Visit askleo.info and enter 12019 in the go
to article number box to access the show notes, the transcript and to leave me
a comment. While you’re there, browse the hundreds of technical questions and
answers on the site.

Till next time, I’m Leo Notenboom, for askleo.info.