All of the changes add up to one thing, a much ‘stickier’ experience for Facebook users. Here's what you need to know from Facebook's NewsFeed announcement on 03/07/13. Have follow up question or just want to get in touch? Email me at christopher.stemborowski@beamland.com !

1. FACEBOOK’S NEW
NEWSFEED
MARCH 7, 2013

2. New NewsFeed
Facebook announced on March 7th that one of its
‘most important’ products, NewsFeed will be
getting a major revamp. The changes affect the
design and functionality of the portion of
Facebook where users spend the most time.
Here are the key changes:
•New mobile-inspired design
•Even more prominence for
shared items
•Feeds that separate content
types
•A stickier experience

3. Mobile-Inspired Design
Facebook discussed in depth how it has made an effort to
create a visually richer experience for NewsFeed. Facebook
has expanded the amount of space that the actual NewsFeed
itself takes up, and all of the elements within it will be larger
and more prominent.
To make space for all of this, Facebook will be removing
what it has labeled ‘clutter’ including the the left-hand
navigation rail. That will now be a tray that sits underneath
the NewsFeed. This element is one of many that Facebook
has brought to the desktop experience, from it’s mobile
sites.
The new design will increase functionality and enable global
navigation. Because the navigation tray will be under all of
the pages on Facebook, regardless of where you are in the
site, you can access the navigation features that were
previously only available on from the NewsFeed page.
Facebook claims, the experience of designing for a mobile
environment forced a cleaner design and increased focus on
what matters. Because of this, Facebook’s desktop
This section will become a tray that sits behind
experience is being evolved by its mobile design.
every page on Facebook, allowing global
navigation and increased space for NewsFeed.

4. More Prominence for Shared Items
With the increased space in NewsFeed, the items that
appear in it will be getting more attention. Everything from
links to articles, Pinterest Pins to Instagram images and
even Check-Ins will be getting additional detail when they new friends
appear in the NewsFeed. story
Facebook made a point to show that they know how users
are sharing content on the platform. Statistics were
presented showing that as much as 50% of updates included
a photo.
With this in mind, Facebook is seeking to live up to a lofty
standard established today when Mark Zuckerburg,
Facebook CEO, said that ‘stories deserved to be published in
more than just text’ today. In an effort to do just that, the new new photo
NewsFeed has larger images that are subtly enhanced.
Third-party apps, such as Pinterest and including Instagram
will have a revamped appearance in NewsFeed with larger
thumbnails pulled in Facebook and a longer summary.
Similarly, links to articles will get larger thumbnails, a
prominent headline, longer summary and even a slug-line
for the author.
new link /
article

5. Subject-based Feeds
Arguably the biggest change is how all of the new larger items shared in users’
NewsFeeds will be filtered and delivered. Facebook will be giving the users more
control, and giving the algorithms less.
In an effort to make controls that users will actually use, Facebook is creating
Feeds that filter what appears in NewsFeed based on subject matter. The feeds
announced include:
• All Friends: Will show all updates in chronological order from the users
friends
• Music: Updates from musicians, including events will appear here as well as
what friends are listening to through apps like Spotify and Rdio
• Photos: All updates that include a photo from users’ friends and pages
• Following: All updates in chronological order from pages liked or celebrities
the user is subscribed to will appear here
• Most Recent: This is a chronological stream of everything from every person
or page the user is connected to
• Close Friends: The friends a user has designated as close friends will
continue to have a dedicated feed
• Games: Notifications and updates from game apps will be in this separate
feed
• Interests: Any interest categories that the user has curated will have their
own feed
• Friends: Any friends list that user has created will have their own feed
• Groups: Shows content from the groups the user is a member of

6. Subject-based Feeds & Pages
So what do all of the new feeds mean for brands with Because the default NewsFeed will still be the
Pages on Facebook? In short, it’s a little hard to tell current experience just with the expanded real estate
just yet. It certainly means that more focus on and larger items. Time will tell if users adopt the
posting with images has to be a continued priority. greater controls en masse and give primacy to feeds
like All Friends and Photos. If this behavior becomes
It also means that the opportunity for discoverability the norm, Pages could see a dip in reach,
is increased. Users can now see page messages in at impressions and engagements as a result. However,
least three places, the default NewsFeed, the when asked about how these updates would impact
Following Feed and on the brand’s Timeline. Brands marketers, in his typical succinct fashion Mark
should expect to little to no immediate impact. Zuckerburg said, “it won’t affect brand pages.”

7. A ‘Stickier’ Experience
Navigation tools are giving way to larger more engrossing content elements. Users are being
given greater controls and a cleaner experience. Facebook has made the content richer,
they’ve given options to users and they’ve made an effort to create cross-platform consistency.
All of the changes add up to one thing, a much ‘stickier’ experience for Facebook users.
Stickier experiences are ones that engage users in such a way that they stay around and
engage for longer. At the end of the day, what’s good for Facebook users and keeps them on
the site more bodes well for brands on Facebook, so despite the uncertainty, brands should
look fondly on these changes.