Facebook has totally revamped its News Feed to offer a cleaner, photo-centric and “mobile inspired” experience with a greater emphasis on stories posted by users.
At a media event hosted by CEO Mark Zuckberg, the company said it had listened to the feedback of members, who had told the social network that the News Feed in its current form is too cluttered.
The company says this repurposed feed, which Zuckerberg described as a “personalised newspaper”, will give those visiting the site for just a few minutes a greater, more detailed perspective of what’s happening in the lives of their friends.
The key change is through Photo Stories, which break from the confines of small thumbnails to appear much larger on the news feed.
The same goes for links to web articles or maps posted of check-ins, which will now have larger, more detailed information attached to them. The site says “each story has been reimagined to put the spotlight on what your friends are sharing.”
Alongside the aesthetic changes to the main Feed, Facebook has unleashed a host of dedicated feeds for Photos, Most Recent stories, Friends, Music, Games, Groups and Following – the latter applying to the celebrities and news organisations users have chosen to LIke.
This, the company says, gives users greater control over the stories they see on their News Feed at any one time.
The changes aren’t just coming to the browser-based version, but also to Facebook’s tablet and smartphone applications, unifying the experience for the first time.
In fact, the company says the new interface is inspired by mobile, highlighting its desire to switch to a mobile-first company.
The web roll-out is beginning immediately, but mobile users will not see any changes for a few weeks. You can sign-up for early access at Facebook.com/Newsfeed, where you’ll also get a good look at the how the new News Feed will take shape.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
