Facebook's Big Facelift

News Type: Event — Seeded on Fri May 16, 2008 4:52 AM EDT

Article Source: Business Week

technology, internet, facebook, website, web-design, social-network

Facebook's designers want to cut the clutter. The Palo Alto (Calif.) social networking site is readying an extensive overhaul of its core profile pages in an attempt to bring back the sleek aesthetic that helped fuel its early popularity. Executives say the redesign should hit the Web browsers of Facebook's 70 million worldwide users in the next few weeks.

The moves come in reaction to Facebook's becoming "more cluttered and harder for users to parse," according to Katie Geminder, the site's director of user experience and design, who oversees the design team working on the project.

Published to:

Spuds Stuff's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: 'Bookers, Newsvine Technology, Social News
Regions: none

What's this?

Who's leading the conversation?

This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user has on the current conversation. The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera). Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the left, in their corresponding group. Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.

6.4

{"commentId":1807020,"authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}

dungbeetlemania

Facebook can be kept uncluttered by users by not installing 10 000 applications. What kills Facebook for me is how you have to go through all these apps telling them you don't want them, which is basically friend-generated spam. The applications have incentives to make users spam their friends, and this is what I hate about the site.

I love scrabulous and being able to find old friends, but the rest basically sucks.

{"commentId":1807020,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}

9 votes

#1 - Fri May 16, 2008 8:22 AM EDT

{"commentId":1807303,"authorDomain":"sguido"}

Shaun Guidolin

friend-generated spam

What a perfect term. This is exactly what will bring Facebook down. Right now it's a structured version of myspace. Some "friends" have 20 apps on their page and you can't even see a thing.. it's a mess.

{"commentId":1807303,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"sguido"}

3 votes

#1.1 - Fri May 16, 2008 9:46 AM EDT

{"commentId":1809336,"authorDomain":"onlineapps"}

Andy Min

Yeah, they coined the term "bacn", I believe.

{"commentId":1809336,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"onlineapps"}

1 vote

#1.2 - Fri May 16, 2008 5:21 PM EDT

{"commentId":1807067,"authorDomain":"bradthomas"}

Brad Thomas

I can't remember how many times I've installed an app to find out that it's not what was advertised or that I have to invite X number of friends in order for it to function. Not only does that make me uninstall the app, but it puts that developer on my black list.

{"commentId":1807067,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"bradthomas"}

4 votes

#2 - Fri May 16, 2008 8:42 AM EDT

{"commentId":1807552,"authorDomain":"joegrind"}

JoeGrinD

The 'Block this application' feature is the best thing since sliced bread.

{"commentId":1807552,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"joegrind"}

2 votes

#3 - Fri May 16, 2008 10:56 AM EDT

{"commentId":1812288,"authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}

dungbeetlemania

Except that you have to block each and every application that your undisciplined friends invite you to. I want a "Block all applications from friends always" function. If I want something I will find and install it.

{"commentId":1812288,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}

2 votes

#3.1 - Sat May 17, 2008 10:16 AM EDT

{"commentId":1807596,"authorDomain":"evaruth"}

evaruth

It's about time!! I avoid friends whose profiles I know are overloaded with applications. I too love Scrabulous, and growing gifts are fun too, but everything else is just clutter and slows down the process. I'll be really happy to see a more streamlined, clean format.

{"commentId":1807596,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"evaruth"}

2 votes

#4 - Fri May 16, 2008 11:09 AM EDT

{"commentId":1807820,"authorDomain":"nefariousone73"}

rbeier

With FB allowing so many applications it became just another myspace ripoff. Sure, some are nice, but some don't even work and are untested. And I agree Brad about the "add 10 friends" before using this app....ridiculous.

{"commentId":1807820,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"nefariousone73"}

1 vote

#5 - Fri May 16, 2008 12:00 PM EDT

{"commentId":1808917,"authorDomain":"onlynow99"}

Angel_C

It is pretty spammy, but I do like the games and the flowers and the eggs....LOL Clipped to the 'Bookers group.

{"commentId":1808917,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"onlynow99"}

#6 - Fri May 16, 2008 3:59 PM EDT

{"commentId":1811859,"authorDomain":"spudsstuff"}

Spuds Stuff

Looks like everyone is pretty much in agreement then. Too many apps (especially ones that serve no purpose)! I have seen many profiles that are a complete mess. Personally I have a number of apps on my page and look forward to the re-design where I can have these on a separate tab.

{"commentId":1811859,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"spudsstuff"}

#7 - Sat May 17, 2008 3:37 AM EDT

{"commentId":1879963,"authorDomain":"evhan"}

evhan

I'm sure everyone's done with this article, but a friend of mine was invited to the beta as a developer and he nabbed this screen.

Via teshack.com, to give him credit where credit is due for sharing.

{"commentId":1879963,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"evhan"}

2 votes

#8 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 1:34 AM EDT

{"commentId":1880418,"authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}

dungbeetlemania

Thanks for the screenshot evhan. My opinion is that it's fugly, I'm afraid.

{"commentId":1880418,"threadId":"265302","contentId":"1492164","authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}

1 vote

#8.1 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 6:18 AM EDT

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"265302","isPrivate":false}

SPUDS STUFF

Backyard

Facebook's Big Facelift

Published to:

FUN STUFF:

COMPANY STUFF:

LEGAL STUFF: