Facebook's Email Change Riles Users - WSJ.com
`1/19/23, 12:56 PM
`The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20120630000401/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303640804577490900623786784.html?mod=e2tw
`
`Tuesday, June 26, 2012 As of 3:38 PM
`
`TECHNOLOGY
`
`U.S. Edition Home
`
`Today's Paper
`
`People In The News
`
`Video
`
`Blogs
`
`Journal Community
`
`Subscribe
`
`Log In
`
`World
`
`U.S.
`
`New York
`
`Business
`
`Markets
`
`Tech
`
`Personal Finance
`
`Life & Culture
`
`Opinion
`
`Careers
`
`Real Estate
`
`Small Business
`
`Digits Personal Technology What They Know All Things Digital
`
`TECHNOLOGY
`
`Updated June 26, 2012, 4:38 p.m. ET
`
`Facebook Raises Hackles on Email
`
`Article
`
`Video
`
`Stock Quotes
`
`Comments
`
`MORE IN TECH »
`
`By JOHN LETZING
`Facebook Inc. FB -2.63% acknowledged that it could have made a better effort to
`educate the social network's users about changes to the way email addresses are
`displayed with profiles.
`
`Facebook users began to notice on
`Monday that the email address shown in
`their profiles had been switched to an
`@facebook.com address, and many
`started complaining. Apparent
`shortcomings in the company's
`communication of the changes appeared
`to aggravate what may otherwise have
`been a minor issue.
`
`Facebook appeared to surprise many users Monday by
`automatically changing the email address in their online
`profiles to one provided by Facebook's own email
`service.
`
`The company said users had been notified
`of the impending move. In April, the
`company announced it would start updating addresses "to make them consistent across
`our site." The announcement, however, failed to mention how the company planned to
`implement the change.
`
`Most Popular in Tech
`RIM Shares Drop After Big Loss
`
`Multiple Missteps Led to RIM's Fall
`
`Twitter's Mobile Ads Begin to Click
`
`Google's New Role as Gadget Maker
`
`On Orbitz, Mac Users See Pricier Hotels
`
`Journal Community
`
`A Facebook spokeswoman said Tuesday
`that "in hindsight" the company probably
`should have better explained the email
`switchover. Asked if the move was made to bolster Facebook's own messaging and email
`presence, she said, "We want people to use whatever service is most effective for them,"
`adding that the move was made to add consistency to the site once every user was
`assigned an @facebook.com address. The change also affected all Facebook
`employees, she said.
`
`Personal Technology
`E-Book Is Reading You
`Digital-book publishers and retailers now know
`more about their readers than ever before. How
`that's changing the experience of reading.
`Photos: We Know What You Read
`
`Available to WSJ.com Subscribers
`
`1 / 4
`
`Old Ruling Party's
`New Face Leads in
`Mexico
`
`J.P. Morgan Models in Spotlight
`
`Still, Facebook's move spawned an array of angry online comments. Blog posts began to
`appear almost immediately after the email change was implemented, advising users how
`to undo it.
`
`"Clearly, their notification leaves a lot to be
`desired," said Ray Valdes, an analyst at
`Gartner Inc. IT +1.79% He said Facebook
`is likely banking on the notion that many
`users won't bother to reverse the change
`
`SEC May Order
`Nasdaq Upgrade
`https://web.archive.org/web/20120630000401/http:/online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303640804577490900623786784.html?mod=e2tw
`
`1/4
`
`Ex. 1011
`CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. / Page 1 of 4
`
`

`

`1/19/23, 12:56 PM
`
`Facebook's Email Change Riles Users - WSJ.com
`to their displayed email, thereby leaving a
`Facebook address in place.
`
`"What Facebook is doing is basically
`trying to weave itself into the fabric of
`every users' online experience. They have
`a history of basically making changes to
`their services that bring users to the edge
`of their comfort zone—and sometimes
`beyond that," Mr. Valdes said.
`
`Germany Signals It
`May Compromise
`
`Enlarge Image
`
`Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
`A Facebook spokeswoman said Tuesday that "in
`hindsight" the company probably should have better
`explained the email switchover.
`
`Facebook has made clear that users can
`reverse the switch and restore their
`previously listed email as a default
`address. They also have the option of not publicly listing any email address at all.
`
`The firestorm over a relatively minor change to user profiles illustrates the palpable
`influence of Facebook on its audience of more than 900 million users.
`
`It also demonstrates the fine line Facebook must walk as a high-profile—and now public
`—company likely to absorb criticism as it updates its services and aims for an even
`broader sphere of influence on the Web.
`
`Facebook first announced its internal messaging service, which involved distributing an
`@facebook.com email address to users, in late 2010. The Menlo Park, Calif., company
`touted its service as a more evolved form of email that could reduce clutter while focusing
`on messages sent among social contacts connected on the site.
`
`But Facebook's initiative generally attracted scant attention from users mostly content to
`maintain their profiles on the site, while separately keeping their email services from
`providers such as Google Inc., GOOG +0.82% Yahoo Inc. YHOO +1.14% or Microsoft
`Corp. MSFT +0.50%
`
`According to the most recent available data from comScore, Microsoft's Hotmail was the
`most popular Internet-based email service globally as of May, with about 325 million
`unique visitors. Yahoo's service ranked second, with roughly 298 million users, while
`Google's Gmail garnered about 289 million users.
`
`Those three services had ranked in the same order in the top three places in May 2011,
`according to the data.
`
`Facebook's messaging initiative comes as the company seeks to bolster the impression
`that it is poised for significant financial growth, thanks to enduring interest from both
`advertisers and existing users.
`
`Despite its popularity, Facebook isn't immune to occasional swings in user interest.
`ComScore reported last week that the site's number of unique visitors slipped to about
`158.01 million in May, compared with 158.69 million in the prior month.
`
`Write to John Letzing at john.letzing@dowjones.com
`
`A version of this article appeared June 27, 2012, on page B4 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street
`Journal, with the headline: Facebook Raises Hackles on Email.
`
`JOIN THE DISCUSSION
`
`MORE IN
`Tech »
`
`The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20…
`
`Most Popular
`
`Read
`Emailed
`Video
`
`1. Turkey Holds Firm on Its Downed Jet Turkey
`Holds Firm on Its Downed Jet
`
`Subscriber Content Read Preview
`
`Joe Parkinson,Ayla Albayrak
`2.
`
`P bbl T h l
`B
`Most Popular on Facebook
`
`Ki k t
`
`t T t
`
`Sign Up
`
`Create an account or Log In to see what your friends
`recommend.
`
`The Weekend Interview with Craig Zucker: What Happens
`When a Man Takes on the Feds
`2,713 people recommend this.
`
`Elizabeth O'Bagy: On the Front Lines of Syria's Civil War
`1,713 people recommend this.
`
`51 people recommend this.
`
`Which top-25 college-football teams are the most popular
`in each county nationwide? Texas, Florida and Ohio State.
`5,377 people recommend this.
`
`19 people recommend this.
`
`Technology & IT Jobs
`
`
`
`SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER - Dow Jones & Co. Inc.
`Software Development Engineer-IEB-IEB Windows
`eXperiences (790439) Job - Microsoft Corp.
`Senior Desktop Engineer - TD Ameritrade
`Structural Analysis Engineer 4 St. Louis BMA & Phantom
`Works - Boeing
`Technology jobs available at TD Ameritrade
`
`keyword
`
` city, state, zip
`
` FIND JOBS
`
`MORE JOBS AND CAREER NEWS
`Finance Jobs | Accounting Jobs | Sales Jobs | Marketing Jobs
`
`POST A
`JOB
`
`FINS for Employers & Recruiters »
`
`More in Tech
`RIM Shares Drop After Big Loss
`
`Twitter's Mobile Ads Begin to Click
`
`Google Targets Amazon With Cloud Service
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20120630000401/http:/online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303640804577490900623786784.html?mod=e2tw
`
`2/4
`
`Ex. 1011
`CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. / Page 2 of 4
`
`

`

`1/19/23, 12:56 PM
`
`Facebook's Email Change Riles Users - WSJ.com
`
`SEC May Order Nasdaq Upgrade
`
`Google's New Role as Gadget Maker
`
`Content from our Sponsors
`What's this?
`Neurologist: Shockingly Obvious Treatment
`Relieves Nerve Pain Immediately (Try
`Tonight) (neuropathy.pro)
`
`Unbreachable Cybersecurity for Power Plants
`(Waterfall Security)
`
`What if WW1 had never happened? Game
`simulates alternative history (Historical Strategy
`Simulation)
`
`The Genius Of Aaron McGruder: 13 Facts
`About ‘The Boondocks’ Creator’s Life And
`Legacy (Moguldom Nation)
`
`Urologist: Do This if You Have Enlarged
`Prostate (Watch) (beyond-gadgets.com)
`
`Editors' Picks
`
`Feud Keeps 9/11 Memorial
`in Limbo
`
`North Dakota City
`Draws Foreign Workers
`
`Afghan Foes Sit
`Together in Kyoto
`
`South Africa Reseeds
`Farm Debate
`
`
`
`BACK TO TOP
`
`Customer Center:
`My Account
`My Subscriptions
`
`Create an Account:
`Register for Limited Access
`Subscribe to WSJ.com
`Subscribe to WSJ Weekend -
`Print Edition
`
`About:
`Content Partnerships
`Reprints
`Advertising
`Place a Classified Ad
`Classifieds
`Advertise Locally
`Conferences
`About Dow Jones
`Privacy Policy - UPDATED
`Help & Information Center:
`10/18/2011
`https://web.archive.org/web/20120630000401/http:/online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303640804577490900623786784.html?mod=e2tw
`
`WSJ.com:
`Site Map
`Home
`World
`U.S.
`New York
`Business
`Markets
`Market Data
`Tech
`
`Tools & Formats:
`Today's Paper
`Video Center
`Graphics
`Columns
`Blogs
`Topics
`Guides
`Alerts
`Newsletters
`
`Digital Network
`WSJ.com
`Marketwatch.com
`Barrons.com
`SmartMoney.com
`AllThingsD.com
`FINS: Finance, IT jobs, Sales jobs
`BigCharts.com
`Virtual Stock Exchange
`
`3/4
`
`Ex. 1011
`CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. / Page 3 of 4
`
`

`

`1/19/23, 12:56 PM
`
`Help
`Customer Service
`Contact Us
`Global Support
`Print Subscriber Services
`
`Data Policy - NEW
`Your Ad Choices
`Subscriber Agreement &
`Terms of Use - NEW
`Copyright Policy
`Jobs at WSJ.com
`
`Copyright ©2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
`
`Facebook's Email Change Riles Users - WSJ.com
`
`Personal Finance
`Life & Culture
`Opinion
`Autos
`Careers
`Real Estate
`Small Business
`Student Journal
`Corrections
`SafeHouse - Send Us
`Information
`
`Mobile
`WSJ Social
`Tablet Edition
`Podcasts
`RSS Feeds
`Journal Community
`WSJ on Twitter
`WSJ on Facebook
`WSJ on Foursquare
`My Journal
`Portfolio
`WSJ Digital Downloads
`
`WSJ Radio
`Professor Journal
`WSJ U.S. Edition
`WSJ Asia Edition
`WSJ Europe Edition
`WSJ India Page
`Foreign Language Editions:
`WSJ Chinese
`WSJ Japanese
`WSJ Portuguese
`WSJ Spanish
`WSJ Deutschland
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20120630000401/http:/online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303640804577490900623786784.html?mod=e2tw
`
`4/4
`
`Ex. 1011
`CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. / Page 4 of 4
`
`