Facebook massive changes
In the lead-up to the f8 conference, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg unveils more new features for the site – but the initial reaction around the net is far from positive.
Mark Zuckerberg must have something big up his sleeve for Thursday’s f8. Facebook on Tuesday night unveiled the third (and biggest) update to the social network in 10 days, with a real-time ‘ticker’ that you might have read about in the Guardian on Monday.
The live ticker shows what you’re friends are talking about right now. From Thursday, this is where you’ll be able to see what your friends are listening to, reading or watching this moment.
It’s an unobtrusive little box in the top-right corner, meaning News Feed displays only the ‘Top Stories’ from the last day – turning Facebook into ‘your own personal newspaper’ – says Facebook engineer Mark Tokelowitz.
The idea is that Facebook addicts (sorry, users) will be able to easily catch-up on what their friends have been doing over the past 24 hours without having to scroll through endless updates. And it ostensibly nudges Facebook away from the irresistible theory that it wants people to stay on the site for as long as possible.
Facebook.
Facebook has been changing rapidly since the launch of Google+, so it’s no surprise that a profile redesign is said to be coming out of the f8 developer conference this week. Mashable credits anonymous sources with the news that this redesign is a ‘major’ one, focused on keeping users on the page longer consuming content.
While there are rumors of a Facebook app store, Project Spartan’s pending launch, and a social commerce focus, Facebook remains tight-lipped. F8 conference participants will get the first peek at what, exactly, this latest rollout will look like; the new profile is said to be just one component of the launch, alongside a music and media platform.
Facebook seems to have made agreements with a number of companies to bring content users are watching or listening to around the web into their Facebook profile in real-time, sharing the media with others. Spotify, Rhapsody, Vevo, and Rdio are said to be among Facebook’s new media partners.
Upcoming & Recent Facebook Changes. The BBC reports that personal Facebook accounts will soon be able connect directly with Twitter, a functionality that has been available only through Facebook Pages or third-party apps. This new feature comes hot on the heels of Facebook’s recent launch of Subscriptions, which brought Facebook sharing closer to the way people connect on Twitter than ever. That change followed Facebook’s new post privacy settings, which mimics Google+ Circles and allows users to classify each post from the status update box in order to control sharing.
Other recent Facebook changes:
1 – The View Shares button, allowing users to see how their content is distributed.
2 – Updated lists and Smart Lists, which can autogenerate lists based on location or how people know each other.
3 – Custom URLs for new Pages. Previously, 25 fans were needed before a Page could set their custom URL. Not anymore.
4 – The Poke button has gone into hiding in a dropdown menu at the top right of the user profile – the same menu that allows you to report or block a user.
5 – Page users will no longer be able to send messages to fans as of September 30.
New Facebook changes have been made to the number one social media site – according to a Facebook blog post yesterday.
The most dramatic change Facebook users will notice is a change in Facebook news feeds. Rather than appearing in chronological order, Facebook news feeds will now be displayed by each individual’s viewing habits.
Facebook explained its change -
“When you pick up a newspaper after not reading it for a week, the front page quickly clues you into the most interesting stories. In the past, News Feed hasn’t worked like that. Updates slide down in chronological order so it’s tough to zero in on what matters most.
Now, News Feed will act more like your own personal newspaper. You won’t have to worry about missing important stuff. All your news will be in a single stream with the most interesting stories featured at the top. If you haven’t visited Facebook for a while, the first things you’ll see are top photos and statuses posted while you’ve been away. They’re marked with an easy-to-spot blue corner.”
The other major change announced yesterday was a real-time ticker which is designed to allow friends to instantly join conversations over new posts. Facebook’s managing engineer talked about the new design improvement -
“News Feed often has a time lag. Usually when you’re on Facebook, a lot of your friends are too. Until now, there hasn’t been an easy way to see and chat with your friends about photos, articles, and other things they’re posting in real-time. The new ticker helps you do just that.
Ticker shows you the same stuff you were already seeing on Facebook, but it brings your conversations to life by displaying updates instantaneously. Now when a friend comments, asks a question or shares something like a check in, you’ll be able to join the conversation right away. Click on anything in ticker to see the full story and chime in – without losing your place.”