|
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a few major changes to the profile page at the f8 conference in San Francisco, in an attempt to stay ahead of mounting competition from Google.
Zuckerberg took to the stage to reveal significant revisions, called "Timeline," which automatically lays out user activities -- such as pictures and posts -- like a digital scrapbook.
"It's the heart of your Facebook experience, completely rethought from the ground up," Zuckerberg said. "All your stories, all your apps and a new way to experience who you are. It's a completely new aesthetic for Facebook."
Zuckerberg added that the new Timeline page still gives users the chance to have a profile picture, but it appears small next to a new customizable banner-like photo at the top called the "cover."
The Timeline page displays recent activity and begins summaries as users scroll further down. The page is programmed to keep only the activity it thinks would be most important to its users, but it's also fully-customizable.
For example, users can go back and hide a specific photo or posting, or they can add a photo that wasn't originally on Facebook to a specific time.
Zuckerberg demonstrated Timeline on both a laptop and an iPhone, showcasing how the new page works the same way on mobile devices as it does on regular computers.
In addition to Timeline, Zuckerberg's other big reveal was the Ticker. The Ticker works like a secondary news feed in the top right corner of the Home page and is meant to be a "lightweight stream of everything that's going on around you."
Zuckerberg said the new feed is present so people don't have to worry about clogging friend's timelines with monotonous information. He also said Ticker is a way for friends to experience "real-time serendipity."
If a user is listening to a song on Spotify, or watching a movie or TV show on Hulu or Netflix, it will show up in the Ticker for friends to click on and immediately begin listening to or viewing the same content. Users will then get notifications when a friend listens to something they've shared.
The announcement of these updates comes as the social network faces growing competition from Google+. Google officially opened its service to the public earlier this week, and while its current number of users has paled in comparison to Facebook's 750 million, analysts believe it has the potential to grow at a rapid rate.
Facebook's new features will likely take the spotlight off of Google+, just as Google attempts to get its service off the ground. Facebook is off to a major head start against its new rival, and the new updates, with an emphasis on customization and real-time information, may be exactly what it takes to maintain a favorable lead.
Developers will have access to the Timeline page and Ticker starting today, and Facebook will roll them out to regular users over the next few weeks. |
