The online social networking giant, Facebook, has recently released a new homepage, which presents a simpler layout than the original homepage for its users. Facebook stated, “a simpler design means easier access to everything you do on Facebook.”
But some users don’t feel this new layout grants anything “easier” when it comes to online social networking. Some users have been reporting fustration about not being able to find friend information and slow posting on comments. According to one blogger, the changes were “unwarranted” and the original homepage had a better appearance and usability.
The new Facebook homepage layout shows users the number of new messages they received with a number over a small earth icon on the upper left hand side. Users have to navigate to the left hand column to access messages, chats and applications. On the upper right hand corner of the online social networking page, users can access the account menu and privacy settings.
Despite what some people say about the layout, the company has added some usable features to its homepage layout such as Chat, which shows a user their friends who are online and allows the user to chat with them outside of using e-mail or wall posts. The other useful feature that Facebook has made more accessible is the event reminder, which can be used for business as well as personal events.
Since there are mixed reviews about the new homepage layout and how it is affecting online social networking, the Search Circus team want to know your opinion about it. Do you feel this new layout is making social media better for you and your network of friends?
The new layout is ok, but it still has problems. On the right side of the page it shows you who on your friends list is online at the moment, but the “chat box” down on the bottom right a lot of times does not agree with the list on the left. It took me several days to get the “live feed” working right. When you are playing games like Farmville having the live feed helps you get bonus and stuff.