Facebook's Facelift - March 2013

Are you ready for the new Facebook facelift? Just when you got use to the last changes, more change is coming.

That’s right, a new game changer has rolled out with numerous new designs features to learn to adapt to.  

Don’t panic just yet with all the design changes; this article will go over 5 of the major changes to help prepare your adaptation.

How Are The New Design Features A Game Changer?

Facebook will become more of a personalized newspaper where users will have more choices and posts will be more visual with more than just text. Users will have more control over what content they want to see and more help finding friends with common interests to interact with.  

There will be multiple feeds and the user's posts will have larger images, pages, and ads. By rearranging their space, they can now show user's bigger images and stories. The feeds will be found in the sidebar navigation menu and in categories like pages, apps and favorites. Ads will be larger and have a richer magazine look. The overall new design goal is to keep you on Facebook longer which will increase the value of Facebook.

Game Changer Feature #1 - New Timline On Personal Pages

The new design will have a single-column timeline.  "Status Updates" will be on the left and on the right will be Recent Activity".

Things like Spotify, Instragram, Foursquare, movies, and Likes will go under the menu bar on the top, designed as a drop down menu.  New Zealand will be the first to test out this new design. Under where "Profile Pictures" are now found is where the "About" section (now highlighted) will be found.  When you "Share" a link on Facebook, a “Like" button will automatically appear (recording your "Like") for the company you’re posting about.

Game Changer Feature #2 - Graph Search

What is "Graph Search"? "Graph Search" is Facebook’s take on a search option. This is similar to Google+ where you can search for things on the social media site. The search options before were basically just indexing pages and people. 

Did you ever find your interest peaking in a subject and want to find out more details? Now is your chance. The new "Graph Search" will help users connect to things that have always existed in just graphs. It is a personalized semantic search where Facebook will help you search by giving you suggestions on search terms from the keywords you input.

By pressing the tab key, it will help guide you with choices as you go deeper and deeper into getting closer to the answers you seek with more information on people or pages you want.

Game Changer Feature #3 - Find Friends With Common Interests

The "Interest" page will include information from Wikipedia, friends interested in the same subject, and photos that have had keyword captured on them. Facebook's new semantic search technology will help you discover which friends have a common interest in the keyword you are searching.

Finding commonality with friends on Facebook is very important as it is aimed to encourage you to socially engage with them so you will stay on Facebook longer. The "Related" pages are in the screenshot below the posts of friends who have a common interest in some way about the keyword you are searching. The search bar has an "Option" for finding friends who have "Liked" the same keyword. On the right side you will be able to refine your search according to number the friends who have also related to your search term. Below this is a link to narrow your search down even more.

Game Changer Feature #4 - Finding Local Businesses

You will be able to search to find a local business that has a product or service you seek.

How does a business get on this list? They will be sorted by the number of "Likes" each local business fan page has. This should build the power of a "Like” on a business fan page to a whole new level! This will take "Likes", comments, and social engagements to a very powerful business community level.

For example, when you hit the "Like" button on a local Chinese restaurant in Woodbury, MN, your "Like" status will become public knowledge. Later on when your friends do a search for a “Chinese restaurant in Woodbury, MN” your "Like" will show up in the "Results" of friends who have liked this Chinese restaurants in Woodbury, MN. You will get to see which your friends have also "Liked" this restaurant.

However, it won’t tell you if they have just "Liked" the page or have eaten there. Every time someone hits the "Like" button on a fan page, it will appear as a “recommendation or vote” for that business. This will increase the ranking of that local business.

Game Changer Feature #5 - New Ways To Filter News Feeds

Do you want to have the power to choose which news you look at? Multiple news feed choices will now be available. The new design of multiple news feed will allow you to tab deeper into the specific content feeds which interest you. You can make choices between which feeds you view. The "Friends Only" feed will allow you to choose to blockseeing certain updates.

Pinterest posts to Facebook will be more vivid. Videos will be larger and you will see on the left of a post which of your friends (displaying their profile pictures) has also shared the same post.

Feeds will be sorted by how often you check them. The "All Friends" feed will show your friend's posts in the reverse order that they were posted. The "Following" feed will show posts from the pages you have "Liked".  The "Music" feed will show what your friends are listening to and include updates about the musicians such as their new albums and upcoming concerts. It will even figure out recommendations of musicians you may like based on your past selections.  

There is no "Photo" feed; the photo sidebar bookmark will lead to just your own larger photos. However, your photos wouldn't be limited to just those uploaded to Facebook, it will also allow photos from other apps such as Instagram.

Your Turn...

We would like to hear your comments below on the new Facebook facelift. Are these changes you have felt you wanted? Do you think Facebook changes too frequently?

We hope you enjoyed this post! If social media marketing sounds like something your business needs, or if you have questions on how to take advantage of social media marketing for your business, contact us today, St. Paul Marketing Team, at 651-731-0768 or Email us at info@StPaulMarketingTeam.com.

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