Facebook has always shied away from features that could possibly prompt a squabble – you know, things that highlight negative actions. That’s why, despite the vocal desire of some users, Facebook has never instituted a “dislike” button. I guess there is some wisdom in the “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” mantra. Even actions that could be seen as having more of a purpose, like seeing when somebody unfriends you, have never appeared on the site although some users have demanded them (both of these “features” have wound up as the subject of various scams).

That’s why I’m a little surprised with a new feature that some users have reported showing up in their notification box. Apparently, Facebook is in the process of testing new notifications that let users know when someone has declined their event invitation.

It’s not like event creators have ever been in the dark about who RSVP’ed yes, no, and maybe to their invitations. Event pages have always allowed for them to see a list of all the invitees’ responses.

But it’s usually unlikely that an event creator would spend too much time checking their decline list. And even if they did, there’s a good chance that they wouldn’t notice everyone who has declined. Having a new notification centered around this means that you’ll know the moment your friend says no to your birthday party.

When you think about it, this feature doesn’t give out any information that’s not already accesible, but I can see how some users wouldn’t be too happy with it. Plus, event creators would probably be tempted to turn off these kinds of notifications altogether, considering some people create events with thousands of invitees.

[Screenshot courtesy AllFacebook]