On 30 September Facebook will be rolling out some serious changes. So much so that some peeps might find it a little difficult to get used to. We got you covered though with this guide to the new Facebook.
1. Timeline – your new scrapbook
Facebook is introducing Timeline. A stream of information about you – your pics, your status updates, apps you have used and the places you have visited on a world map that dates all the way back to your birth. This is trying to encourage you to post stuff about your past.
The further back you go the more info is compressed so that you only see the most interesting events from your history. This can be customised by clicking on a star next to a status.
Timeline is in beta right now (learn how to activate it here). Before long it will become default.
2. Dislike, Love, awesome – You don’t just have to Like anymore
In the beginning Zuck made Like and that was all you could use on something in Facebook. Like a video, like a picture a comment or a person. Facebook has launched Gestures so pretty soon that Like will be old news because you will be able to [verb] any [noun]. I am “Reading” a book or “digging” a band will be the way of the future. Will this lead to an explosion of oversharing? More than likely.
3. Apps get sneaky – only ask once to share stories on your behalf
Why do I get the feeling this is going to become a hassle? Controversial? In the past apps needed to request permission to share info about you in your profile. Not anymore. Now they will ask once when you authorise them and ner again. If your cool with that, cool, but make sure you authorise the right apps kids.
Worried about app updates clogging up your news feed? Fear not…
4. “Lightweight” info to the Ticker
Cool status updates, interesting pics from a trip to the loo or a mate getting dumped are the kinds of things we want to see in your news feed. A challenge in Spartacus…Not so much. This shite has been banished to the Ticker that you can see to the side of your screen in real-time.
5. Do it all and never leave
Watch TV and movies, check out some new beats or read the news. All this will now take place inside Facebook thanks to a long list of partnerships including Hulu, Netflix, Spotify, Yahoo News and many more. The ticker will let you know who is watching or listening to what so you can get involved by clicking on a link. Peer pressure just took some steroids.
6. The numbers
Facebook has more users and more engagement that ever. Some numbers taken from a post by mashable.com: The social giant has hit the 800 million users mark and most of these are active and they also recently saw a new record visitors in one day; a staggering 500 million.
And there you have it. Facebook showing they are taking things very seriously and coming with something to shake things up a bit. Whether or not we will like the new changes is another question. Whether or not Google+ can stay in the game now is the important question? Tell us what you think…
Original guide from Mashable.com
