Facebook’s Summer of Change, All the Updates You Need to Know

August 12, 2016

Facebook’s Summer of Change, All the Updates You Need to Know

In the past few weeks Facebook has made a few changes to the platform. It seems like almost every week there is a new update, tool or tweak to the algorithm.

If you are wondering if you have missed any of these updates, or you are interested in learning more, take a look at a few of the changes below.

AGLORITHM CHANGE

In June Facebook made another significant change to their algorithm and how they determine what each user will see in their News Feeds. The new algorithm weighed personal friends and family members of users as more important, as well as using each individual user’s behaviors on the site to determine what they are interested in and giving them more items like the items of interest.

Adam Mosseri, Vice President of Product Management at Facebook stated, “We are not in the business of picking which issues the world should read about. We are in the business of connecting people and ideas — and matching people with the stories they find most meaningful.”

See more about this change here.

CLICK BAIT BLOCK

Shortly after tweaking the algorithm in June, Facebook took on reducing clickbait in users’ News Feeds. The algorithm tweak limits the number of clickbait articles and ranks stories that are of interest to individual users higher in the News Feed.

Facebook has implemented a system that identifies phrases that are most commonly used in clickbait headlines. After pinpointing these phrases, they built a system that determined what phrases were not commonly used in clickbait articles and implemented the filters.

Websites and Pages that regularly rely on clickbait to increase their traffic will see a change in the distribution of their updates. All Pages on Facebook should work to avoid headlines that withhold information or exaggerate the article to create misleading expectations.

Learn more about this new update here.

BUSINESS PAGE FORMAT

Earlier this month Facebook rolled out a new format for the Business Pages. The new format features a cleaner layout and a more organized look and feel.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the redesigned Pages’ launch to TechCrunch, saying “We’ve introduced a new design for Pages on desktop to make it easier for people to learn about and interact with businesses on Facebook, including a new column for tab navigation and a more prominent call-to-action button.”

See all the changes to the Page here.

VIDEO TOOLS

Last September Facebook rolled out a new video feature, 360 video. Since that time there has been over 250,000 videos uploaded to the site.

This week Facebook rolled out two new tools for publishers sharing 360 videos.

  • Guide, a new way to give your viewers a guided tour of your 360 video as it plays, so they can enjoy a lean-back experience and never miss a key moment.
  • Heatmap, a visual insights tool that shows you which portions of a 360 video’s field of view your audience is spending the most time watching.

Learn more about these new tools here.

These are just the changes from this summer. It is likely that we will see a few more updates to the features and tools as Facebook works to be relevant and user-friendly.

Digital & Social Articles on Business 2 Community

Author: Laura Donovan

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