Whether it’s a birthday blowout 400 miles away or “The Solid Dudes’ Last Show EVER!” we’ve all had to click “Not Attending” on a Facebook event.
Maybe a wedding RSVP would add “regretfully,” but it’s still polite enough, right?
Well, it’s not. In effect, non-attendees are proudly — and only sometimes unintentionally — announcing “Nah, I’m good, thanks dude.”
When “Not Attending” counts creep dangerously close to the “Attending,” your event page starts to look less and less appealing to new invitees. Facebook has attempted to address this awkward position with a new update to event pages, a mock-up of which is displayed above:
Facebook has modified its Event pages to hide people who explicitly decline invitations. You can still find out who couldn’t just be cordial and leave the invitation pending by drilling into the renamed “Going”, “Maybe” and “Invited” categories. Facebook’s goal is likely to get more people accurately responding to invitations by making them feel less rude for declining.
Facebook also rolled out a few other refinements to Event pages tonight. If you do decline an invitation, you’ll be prompted to post why on the Event’s wall. This encourages the token invites people send to friends thousands of miles away. These token invites are viewed as needless distractions by some, though others think they are cute ways to remind people you’re thinking of them. [via TechCrunch]
The update is a welcome sign for anyone who’s ever dealt with passive-aggressive statements like “So I saw you’re ‘Not Attending’ Jeremy’s tap dance recital this weekend…”
But will it have an effect on the people who promote events on Facebook, especially on a professional level?