Anytime Facebook makes a change it makes news. Sometimes it’s good news. Sometimes it’s not.
When the company announced this morning changes to its news feed, the Social Media team at Marcus Thomas was watching and listening. Community Manager Monina Wagner had this take:
Image of Facebook’s redesigned news feed.
Photo courtesy: Facebook
“Facebook not only unveiled a newly designed News Feed but began a small user rollout of the changes today. There were several changes, but three things really stood out for me:
- The overall look. The News Feed now has a clean, consistent design across all devices: web, mobile and tablet
- Multiple feeds. Users now have a choice of News Feeds. Feeds can range from ’All Friends,’ ‘Music,’ ‘Photos,’ to ‘Following, ’ a feed of liked brands and public figures. A drop down menu on all devices will allow users to select the feed they would like to view without the need to return to the homepage
- Emphasis on larger images. Everything is BIGGER. Photos, videos and maps. Previously, when several friends shared a photo or video, a user would simply be notified of the ”share”. With the new design, a larger image appears alongside the profile photos of all of the user’s friends who have shared that same content. When a user hovers over the profile photos, conversations associated with said content can be read, making the experience more engaging and personable. Also, maps will be larger for check-ins. Facebook officials believe if it’s a location important enough for a user to document, the map should be large enough to document that check-in.
Facebook officials say the new design will have no impact on Brand Pages. But as more details of the new News Feed are unveiled, Marcus Thomas will be evaluating their implications with Brands.
Stay tuned to this blog for upcoming posts on how brands can leverage the changes to the feed. Let’s call it food for thought.