Facebook's newsfeed changes
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News
Facebook announced last night that it has made significant changes to its newsfeed, bringing consistency across its mobile and desktop experiences and giving the user more control over what they see.
This is the most significant change to Facebook since the launch of Timeline last year.
This is a good move for Facebook, which is trying to be more relevant for consumers – a “personalised newspaper”, as Zuckerberg described his aspirations for the platform.
It has been designed to encourage people to spend more time on the platform. It does look more aesthetically pleasing and user friendly, with visuals much bigger. And it also lets users zero in on friends, photos, music, etc.
Visual content is extremely important for brands on Facebook, and these changes emphasise this even further. Images will now be much more prominent, challenging marketers to stretch their creativity.
That said, increased visibility means that brands need to be more relevant than ever. They still need to work hard to make the experience more immersive and engaging. A stream of irrelevant content or ill-conceived sponsored posts will be noticed quickly by consumers.
It’ll be a few months yet until we see how much impact these changes will have, both for brands and consumers. Facebook will be able to give itself a much-deserved pat on the back if it manages to make both parties happy.