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Details of Facebook's New Homepage Design Revealed

by Caleb Johnson on October 20, 2009 at 02:08 PM

Facebook changes are sure to garner both cheers and jeers from the social networking crowd. When news broke that the site would soon test a new homepage design, speculation ran wild but details were scarce. Now, some leaked information meant for advertisers has surfaced on Mashable, shedding more light on the redesign.

The idea is simplicity. When logged in, instead of seeing real-time recent activity on the News Feed, you'll see the new 'Top News' stream, which is supposed to be a highlight of things you've missed throughout the day. But you'll still be able to switch over to the regular old 'Recent Activity' stream, updated in real time. This should make news navigation easier, as well as improve the site's load time.

Also, news items like tagged photos, friend acceptances, birthdays, RSVPs, and relationship changes will once again appear in the main feed, not on the right side of the page. This change in design benefits advertisers, as well, since moving the above items into the center feed will free up space on the right side of the page for larger ads. Also increased will be the number of suggestions (friends, events, etc...) displayed.

We think we speak for most users by saying enough with the facelifts, Facebook. [Ed Note: Bring back searching for activities by type!] Still, if these aesthetic changes mean quicker load times, we are -- albeit reluctantly -- on board. (If you've ever watched that flashing blue bar while the news feed loads, you know what we mean.) Also, the most noticeable difference is the change from the publishing box to an "Update Status" button. Frankly, we prefer the button to Facebook asking, "What's on your mind?"

There's still no official word on when this design will become available to users. Of course, you'll know instantly when the new Facebook has arrived. Just keep an eye out for your friends' angry status updates. [From: Mashable]


Tags: advertising, breakingnews, design, facebook, leak, redesign, socialnetworking, top, web

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