Feb. 11, 2011 at 4:04 PM ET
One thing about Facebook: it doesn't stay static for long. Just when you were getting used to Pages, the company has decided to make a major overhaul, an upgrade that aligns it with the recent Profiles redesign in its navigation, photo presentation and being able to see mutual friends and interests.
Pages generally have three uses: as vehicles to promote businesses/organizations, brands, causes and individuals who want to keep their professional identities separate from their personal ones; to amass much greater numbers of "fans" since on a Page the Profile ceiling of 5,000 friends is lifted; and sometimes they're a combination of those two things. I used one of the Pages I administer for a campaign: my successful run last year for national secretary of the Asian American Journalists Association. You can see it here as an example of the current design.
You can probably tell right away the differences: no more info tabs under the title — those have been moved to the left frame. In their place, the pane of mini-photo windows that are the most noticeable visible hallmark of the new Profiles. But here's where it's different from the profile pics: they won't come out in chronological order of tagging, nor will they stay the same. The thumbnails will reload in a different order every time to keep things spicy.
Another big change: posts on the Page will filter through either a default "Page posts only" or "Everyone," which will use a Darwinian algorithm to pop posts with the most Likes and comments to the top, vs. the reverse chronological order now in effect.
If you're an administrator of a Page, you might also notice fairly quickly post-upgrade an influx of spam through comments notifications. Go into your Account Settings > Notifications > Pages > and uncheck "Replies to your discussion board post." That should stop the flood.
Upgrade availability began yesterday, but a few things to know before taking the plunge:
- A preview is an option, so taking a step-by-step tour is possible to dip your toes in.
- As of March 1, all Pages will shift over to the new design, so as with the Profiles, it might be better to do it voluntarily rather than suffer through the abrupt change kicking and screaming.
- In a kind of schizo-dual identity feature, Page administrators will also be able to use their Pages as Profiles to comment on others' posts, profiles and pages using that Pages identity rather than your personal profile. You'll be able to read a News Feed tailored just to the page, based on your interactions. You can always switch back to commenting/acting as the personal profile.
- Page admins will no longer be restricted to favoriting other pages, but will be allowed to "Like" them too. (Whew! That could've been a dealbreaker. Yeah.)
More Facebook stories:
- Only a quarter of Facebook's 600 million users are in U.S.
- Power of Twitter, Facebook in Egypt crucial, says U.N. rep
- Facebook apps help you pretty up your profile
(via Inside Facebook)
Check out Technolog on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Athima Chansanchai, who serves as an administrator on a few Pages on Facebook.