With over 800 million users, Facebook has rolled out some major changes to enhance and increase user experience and activity. As always most changes come with resistance and these changes are no exception. However, taking a few minutes to review and understand these changes will give you a better understanding as to how these changes will affect the way you use this social media platform.
Let’s take a look! Who knows you just might like the change!
Ticker
The news ticker allows the user to view what their friends are doing on Facebook in real time. The Ticker is what you see constantly moving in the upper right corner of your account. The ticker not only includes posts, but also the activity of the user. This activity includes commenting on posts, liking pages, liking posts, etc.
Basically, once the user shares a new post or completes an activity, it shows up in their friend’s ticker. The friend then has the ability to chime in, share, or “like” the post right inside the ticker, all in real time.
Users do have some control over what is being displayed in their ticker. Just click on the post in the ticker, hover over it and a box with an arrow will appear, then click the arrow and choose to hide the post, etc.
News Feed
You are now viewing “Top Stories” and “Recent Stories” areas on your news feed. Facebook puts posts in the “top stories” area that it thinks you will find interesting. In the “Recent Stories” area you will find your friends posts in order from the newest to oldest.
You can help Facebook choose what stories you would consider “Top Stories” by hovering over a post you like and clicking the left corner tab to “mark as top story.” Also when hovering the post you will notice a right tab with an arrow. When clicking this tab more options are available such as hide story, view all or most updates, and unsubscribe from the person or their status updates.
New Apps
The updates that are changing Facebook will also give Developers more freedom to produce a much larger variety of social apps. Some of the apps that you can expect to see include: Netflix, Hula, Spotify, and much more! You can also expect to see a change in the standard “like” button to include more action words, such as reading, watching, and listening.
Subscribe
Users may now choose to turn on a “Subscribe” button. Enabling this button allows individuals to follow your feed without being friends. This may be a useful feature to public figures who wish to share a personal connection with their audience. You can turn on the “subscribe” button by clicking here: http://www.facebook.com/about/subscribe
Friend Lists
This feature will keep your friends organized and allows you to post to a particular group of people. Facebook auto generates a few of the lists and populates them for you based on your friend’s profile information (classmates, family, coworkers, and friends that are local). To access your lists, click on the word “List” located on your home page to the left under your profile image. To add friends to a list just click the “manage list” button in the upper right corner. You can create as many lists as you like by clicking the button, “Create a List” at the top of the main list page.
Timeline
Timeline will change the look of the Facebook profile entirely. Timeline is being referred to as a “scrapbook” of the person’s life or at least their life as it appears on Facebook. Everything that you have ever posted will appear in chronological order on the timeline that you as the account holder can manage. Here is a video Facebook released to introduce Timeline.
Timeline brings a plethora of changes all on it’s own. I have been trying it out in the beta version for the last week. Here are some highlights that I have noticed:
- Cover Image ~ You will now have the ability to add a large image, aka “Cover” to the top of your personal profile.
- Your basic information, friends, likes, photos, etc. will now be located toward the top of your profile under the “cover” image.
- Any tagged images must be approved by your before they are displayed on your page. (I like this one for sure!!!)
- Hide or feature posts on your timeline by hovering over the post and clicking the corresponding tab.
- A map is now displayed as part of your profile to show the places you have been.
- You can post major life events including breaking a bone, by clicking on the icons located in your status bar.
Although there are still some issues and areas of concern, especially regarding privacy, Facebook is going full speed ahead to give their users the best possible social experience.
Now that the initial shock is wearing off, are you starting to embrace the new Facebook?
Jen Puckett is owner of Jenz Virtual Office, an outsourcing company for FUNky entrepreneurs. Jen specializes in handling the techie tasks for your online business. She has over 10 years experience in web site design.
Great article Jen… well laid out and easy to understand. I’m with you on the privacy thing. I’m not to fond of the news feed on the right side of the original news feed. Seems kind of pointless to me. :o) But he is the one that’s making the big bucks and not myself, eh? So I guess Mark knows best. All in all though, I really like the new changes that has taken place. I also enjoyed the post . 🙂
I am hearing a lot of people not really caring for the ticker (news feed), so you are not alone, Deeone! Glad you are liking most of them though! 🙂
Great post, Jen! I’ve been trying out the new timeline as well and I’m really enjoying it. The ticker, however? Totally annoying! It would be great if there was an option to hide it.
The ticker isn’t nearly as annoying as the new layout for the “Top Story” and Recent posts…drives me nuts, everything being out of order like this. It was one thing to have it on a different tab but this way just jumbles everything up!
I am enjoying the timeline too! It’s kinda neat! I think it’s actually going to be easier for people to find things. Yes, ticker doesn’t seem to be very popular.
Once you start making more customizations with the top stories, you may like it a little better, Elizabeth. Maybe?
Very comprehensive and positive overview…a breathe of fresh air amongst all the grumbling about the changes which, I personally, am liking!
I am with you Tambre. Most of the changes are pretty cool. Change is always difficult, but technology is constantly changing and advancing. FB is just keeping up! 🙂 They will be able to integrate all sorts of new features with the update to Open Graph.
So many changes with Facebook these days, really appreciate you sharing this information Jennifer. It is easy to read and understand. Although I don’t have too much time these days to test out all the new features. I think that is something for my VA to do, righ?!! lol
Absolutely, this is something your VA could do for you, Lynn! 🙂 Although, I think you will enjoy the changes and will pick up on them easily!
Thanks Alicia! I especially appreciate the heads up on the coming “TimeLine” change. Can’t imagine booting up the computer to that drastic of a layout change without any warning (like the last changes were to me and a LOT of others)!
Hi Elizabeth! You’re right, many fb users were not too happy waking up to their surprise, lol! I think we are getting use to it now and getting use to the fact that more changes are on the way. Timeline is pretty cool! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Thanks Jen, this is a good overview. I’m definitely not a ticker fan, tbd on the rest.
I know it’s the road we’re on, but there’s just something really disconcerting about seeing your friends arranged in predetermined lists. As if all relationships were somehow quantifiable. Just me?
love this article Jen, very positive. I like most of the changes that facebook is rolling out but I am concerned about privacy issues . I am really not a fan of the ticker either but that’s just because I dont reallly chat real time with my friends on facebook most of the times but maybe that will change.
Hi Jen, great info so thanks for sharing. If someone subscribes to your FB page then are they guaranteed to get your updates or posts?
I have not been able to find a clear answer on this. . . thanks