If you haven’t noticed all the recent changes with Facebook lately (and all the buzz about this Friday’s new Profile Timeline launch currently only available to developers and testers), then you live under a social media rock. Facebook is most likely reacting to the launch of Google+ … mainly tools like Circles, data filtering, etc … and is doing everything they can to keep your interest.
Facebook isn’t necessarily interested in its revenue – it has PLENTY. It’s also not interested in its user count – believe me, they’re set. Facebook is interested in maintaining its foothold in the social media industry as THE social media platform; knocking down any new or old competitors that may stand in its way.
So here’s the lowdown on what’s changing…
News Feed
Arguably the most rattling so far of all the changes, the news feed. It’s now organized by chronological news, featured news, and a real-time ticker. As if the old layout wasn’t info-overload enough. This means that owners of Facebook Fan Pages will need to try extra hard to get their posts through all the noise (check out this blog post about Fan Page statistics). However, the way that users engage with fan pages will be broadcast a little better than before.
Lists
On the left side bar, Facebook now lets you create smart lists (they’ve already figured out a couple for you already, centered around work colleagues, city of residence, and schools). You can edit or create more, and this will allow you filter information more specifically… so if you don’t want your family or coworkers to see certain information, you can leave them out of it. This may make way for better sharing of fan pages, business information, and the ability to streamline user engagement.
Applications
Facebook is allowing users to integrate applications way more than ever. For example, if a user downloads the Spotify music application, friends can see what music their friends are listening to in real time and listen to it themselves. This is awesome if you can find an application developer for your business and get the app to take off – better sharing for app-savvy businesses!
Timeline
Timeline Profiles will release Oct 1, but is currently only available to Facebook App Developers (I activated it last week, and I must say it’s very impressive). Timeline lets you post a feature image banner at the top of your profile (which is different from your profile picture) that best expresses yourself. It also organizes wall posts in a timeline format, where you can navigate through specific months or years and get an overall low-down on your life (including the integration of events, moves, relationship changes… even broken bones and surgeries).
Overall, Facebook is trying to create a total ‘user life experience.’ This new change isn’t just about simple UI fixes – it’s trying to change the way users think about social media. Most of the changes are well-received by fans. As for businesses, it’ll take some time to adjust to the new search algorithms and ways business info appears to the users. So tinker around with it, and get used to the changes!
