Major Facebook Changes Coming

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 11:39:00 AM EST
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It may be too little too late, but Facebook is in the process of making big adjustments to become more like Twitter.

These are the changes:

1. Facebook changed its home page to allow streaming of posts from Facebook friends in realtime. (Twitter updates immediately as people post.)

2. Facebook enabled filtering for those realtime updates, letting users filter those status updates by friends, applications and other groupers. (You can filter a bit on Twitter but have better options in Twitter filtering applications like twalala.)

[More...]

3. Facebook tweaked the "What are you doing right now?" status bar, which now asks, "What's on your mind?" (Twitter's prompt is "What are you doing?")
4. Facebook lifted the 5,000-friend limit on Facebook friends a user can have, making them unlimited. (Twitter doesn't limit the number of fellow Tweeters you can follow.)
5. Facebook pages are now called "profiles." (Twitter has one type of profile for everybody.)

You can tour the changes here.

The best change, in my view:

And for those of us who have those friends who are always sending updates that we aren't all that interested in? Facebook will let you add a filter that will keep those updates at a minimum without "de-friending" them.

In addition to copying Twitter, the move seems designed to accomodate celebrities and organizations by making their "pages" more like the profiles of individuals.

The site will let users follow public figures like President Barack Obama or swimmer Michael Phelps or their favorite bands or sports teams.

One of my pet peeves about twitter is too many bloggers, media folks and organizations use them only as a means to promote themselves, by twittering every blog post or article and every preview of their next show. I wish people would only tweet when they have something to say or to tout a post, show or event they think is special.

At least Twitter lets you filter, or you can use Twalala. I also like TweetDeck and Search Twitter.

And while I prefer people read TalkLeft rather than a summary at Facebook or Twitter, I'll be keeping both.

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Major Facebook Changes Coming | 57 comments (57 topical)

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Threads like these make me feel old. (5.00 / 6) (#2)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 11:48:26 AM EST

HA! (5.00 / 3) (#3)
by talesoftwokitties on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 11:52:27 AM EST

Exactly, what I was thinking. Just last night I activated an account. Looked around and couldn't figure out how to learn more about the people there - I had to be friends with them first, then they had to let me be their friend - what a rigmarole! Needless to say, I deactivated the account. Here's to the cranky old people ;-)


"Here's to the cranky old people" (5.00 / 2) (#6)
by nycstray on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 11:58:16 AM EST

Heh, sounds like someone I know . . . ME! WTF is Twalalala and why on earth do we need things like Twitter?! I avoid FB because of their info hoarding and if anyone wants to know about me or see my work, I'll just direct them to MY website, TYVM! My friends still seem to know how to find me, just tell me you have tickets to a game or there's some food being prepared and I materialize, lol!~


This landed in my inbox this AM: (5.00 / 3) (#8)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:04:09 PM EST

TO: THE SPOILED UNDER-30 CROWD
When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were.
When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning
Uphill... Barefoot. BOTH ways....Yadda, yadda, yadda...
And I remember promising myself that when I grew up there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like th at on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!
But.... now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.
You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!!
I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!!
There was no email! We had to actually write somebody a letter, with a pen!
Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!
Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass!! Nowhere was safe!
There were no MP3' s or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself!
Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!
There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and 'eject' it when finished, and the tape would come undone.
We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting.
If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it!
And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!
We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics!
We had the Atari 2600! With games Like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!
And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen. Forever!
And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!
You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on. You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your arse and walk over to the TV to change the channel!
There was no Cartoon Network either!
You could only get cartoons on Saturday morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?!? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-ba$tards!!
And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove ... Imagine that!
That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or before!
Regards,
The over 30 Crowd

Too funny.... (none / 0) (#10)
by kdog on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:15:40 PM EST

And I remember making mix tapes by recording off the radio...ah the stone ages!


Yeah man, 95.5 WPLJ. (none / 0) (#11)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:20:14 PM EST

And the DJs ALWAYS talked over the intro.


Well, that sounds like a newfangled (5.00 / 1) (#34)
by ruffian on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 02:49:32 PM EST

FM station to me! I didn't get that until high school.

We had 720 WLS AM with Larry Lujack. And we liked it.


WNEW 102.7 Baby... (none / 0) (#14)
by kdog on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:42:49 PM EST

The place where rock lives. Scott Muni, one of the best of all time.


: Yeah man, I remember NEW. (none / 0) (#16)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:53:50 PM EST

Well (none / 0) (#25)
by CST on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 01:38:41 PM EST

I remember making mix tapes and everything on that list. And I'm not that close to 30 yet...

I do find myself occasionally thinking "what's the matter with kids these days" although it's often "what's the matter with parents" too.

I am still stuck on the fact that the younguns today have "safe" playgrounds. Back in my day, if you wanted to use the slide, you had to risk burning your butt on hot metal. Not to mention the concrete ground you'd scrape your knees/elbows on when you went flying off the seesaw. Now it's all cushioned and covered in plastic. Wimps!

Maybe I am getting old...


: Not to mention the slides probably (none / 0) (#26)
by oculus on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 01:48:28 PM EST

don't scare a single soul. No fun.

: Ha! And real metal monkey bars (none / 0) (#33)
by ruffian on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 02:47:45 PM EST

that let you climb 10 feet in the air above the concrete playground. Then slide down a hot metal fireman's pole - 1968 version of pole dancing!

: Wow (none / 0) (#50)
by CST on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 04:35:38 PM EST

and this was on the news today.
At least if it's wooden they can still get splinters...

: Ever use [the ancient] "waxed paper" (none / 0) (#52)
by DFLer on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 05:38:30 PM EST

to slick the slide for high speed?

Really? (5.00 / 2) (#5)
by squeaky on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 11:54:57 AM EST

Well maybe you should read this:

Why Facebook Is for Old Fogies from Time Mag.

I do not have a facebook account although lots of my friends do and I get invites to join. I think that I am too private a person to get involved, although I may break down at some point and join.


I'm too private also (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by nycstray on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:02:54 PM EST

and I really don't see any point in it. I'd rather go hang with my friends in person and my mom and I are just fine with long phone calls, lol!~ Email is great and no MySpace or FB to haunt me down the road ;)


Are all your freinds in town? (none / 0) (#45)
by coigue on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 04:14:57 PM EST

I keep track of all my pals from overseas and in other countries.

You can be as private as you want. It's really unthreatening. My 68 year old mom is on it.


Yeah (none / 0) (#46)
by squeaky on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 04:18:49 PM EST

My friends have said the same about privacy settings, still it seem creepy to me.


: Actually, it is a little. (none / 0) (#47)
by coigue on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 04:28:23 PM EST

But it is also a massively effective way to keep in touch with people, join causes, pass information, discuss isses, etc.
But yeah...it's also a bit Brave New World.

Nope (none / 0) (#49)
by nycstray on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 04:31:26 PM EST

and many are on FB, but they are fine that I'm not ;)


LOL (none / 0) (#51)
by coigue on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 04:40:37 PM EST

I am sure. For me it's a lifeline, because I work from home and it gets a bit isolating...with no office mates


I work from home also (5.00 / 1) (#53)
by nycstray on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 06:16:31 PM EST

My dog and a few cats do most of the company keeping :) I also use RL people. More so as the weather warms up. I got more involved in my CSA for people contact once a week {grin} I was also thinking about volunteering in the schools or something a few hours a week. I used to do more hours at the shelter and walking dogs for them is great for people contact.

I only agree to onsite work on occasion and if I'm reasonably sure the place isn't a stress pool, lol!~


You have a black and white (none / 0) (#54)
by vml68 on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 06:30:35 PM EST

theme going on there... :-)


More than you know, lol!~ (5.00 / 1) (#55)
by nycstray on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 06:46:28 PM EST

I also have an all white kitty and another B&W one. I'm thinking of adding a black male. I do have 2 senior tiger cats. At one point all my cats were tiger/tabby style in a variety of color waves. Then the white kitty showed up and it was all down hill from there, lol!~ B&W kitties crack me up. They usually have great face/head markings.


: LoL...... (none / 0) (#57)
by vml68 on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 07:06:38 PM EST

Brings back memories of me in another lifetime....I had 3 dogs and 5 cats then. One kitty was all black with just the last 1/4" of his tail all white. One was all white with one green eye, one blue eye and a tiny grey patch near her nose. I always felt the urge to wipe it because it looked like she had poked her nose in something and got some dirt on it. Her litter mate was a tiger kitty.

I guess I need more interaction (LOL) (none / 0) (#58)
by coigue on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 07:20:15 PM EST

That was great (none / 0) (#36)
by CST on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 02:55:19 PM EST

Ever since my mom joined facebook, she's been more into it than any of the rest of us.

She even got in touch with a cousin she didn't know, because her uncle had a 20 yr long affair.

Ahh families...


They just make me feel odd... (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by kdog on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:12:38 PM EST

I don't get the phenomenon at all.


It rocks in the dog world (none / 0) (#13)
by Militarytracy on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:33:44 PM EST

It is easy to stay up with each other. You can post show results from your telephone and not have to wait a week for it to finally officially be posted.


I was always told I was odd.... (none / 0) (#15)
by vml68 on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:51:52 PM EST

now I can add anti-social to the list. I have been deleting invites to join FB and other sites from friends and family and then I end up giving them a pathetic excuse when they call to find out why I have not joined. I even got an invite from my ex-boyfriend's dad...that was a little wierd!


I can't get over the fact... (none / 0) (#18)
by kdog on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:59:36 PM EST

my moms is on there...I think she only learned of email 2 years ago. Never fails to make me chuckle.

I wouldn't call yourself anti-social...just old-school social:)


: Tell me about it.... (none / 0) (#23)
by vml68 on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 01:22:25 PM EST

A few years ago I got my parents to start using e-mail and it was a real challenge, now they are like old pros.
What cracks me up is that my dad is a text-messaging fiend and I have yet to send my first text message. He is into all the latest gadgets and wanted an iphone as soon as it came out even though he could not use it where he was living. And here I can't even be bothered to replace my old beat up cell phone.

I also delete the invites (none / 0) (#37)
by shoephone on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 03:10:04 PM EST

I'm already a very social person, know all my neighbors, etc.

When my neighbor across the street sent me a FB invite to "friend" her, I just thought "WTF???" and deleted it. If I want to talk to her I have her email and her phone number. Or I can walk across the street and knock on her door and ask, "Hey, what's up?"

I think FB and Twitter are just more nonsense. But ... I'm in my late 40's and remember how to talk to people -- in person!


Los Angeles Times is blogging (none / 0) (#4)
by oculus on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 11:54:23 AM EST

about the crowd in the Civic Center Plaza as the California Supreme Court is to hear oral argument on Proposition 8 today. LAT also says the argument will be twittered. I would like to hear the arguments and questions/comments from the justices live. Not sure if I'll regret not being able to receive the twittering.


The revolution will not be twittered (5.00 / 2) (#35)
by ruffian on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 02:50:44 PM EST

That's funny! (none / 0) (#38)
by shoephone on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 03:11:12 PM EST

I wonder if Gil Scott Heron uses Twitter.


: If I thought he did (none / 0) (#44)
by ruffian on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 04:12:49 PM EST

maybe I would use it. He is the coolest of the cool.

Although (none / 0) (#39)
by squeaky on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 03:13:09 PM EST

I am not so sure about the right wing coup d'état..


Me too (none / 0) (#31)
by ruffian on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 02:40:56 PM EST

email is still fast enough for me.

And I'd be more apt to embrace the new things if they weren't named so childishly.


THe great thing about Facebook (5.00 / 1) (#43)
by coigue on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 04:11:55 PM EST

is that you think of an old friend and can just search for them I have found several that I remember fondly but don't have address info, etc for.

I've always seen ... (5.00 / 1) (#48)
by Robot Porter on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 04:30:53 PM EST

MySpace and Facebook as "Fisher Price" versions of the Internet.

Kinda of like the grown up version, but with big shiny buttons and easy to assemble pieces.

I use facebook very rarely (none / 0) (#1)
by andgarden on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 11:44:57 AM EST

and twitter not at all.

RSS is what I like.

I'm just figuring out the old facebook (none / 0) (#12)
by Militarytracy on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:32:21 PM EST

I'll never be tech anything savvy.

Does anyone do Plaxo or LinkedIn? (none / 0) (#17)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:57:36 PM EST

I get emails on a daily basis from people I know who are into them.

It seems like a lot of effort to keep up with these two, anyone have any good reasons to be involved in them?

What are those ? (none / 0) (#19)
by kdog on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 01:01:03 PM EST

New designer drugs? Any good?...:)


: Plaxo does sound pharma-ish... (none / 0) (#20)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 01:05:32 PM EST

Don't know about Plaxo... (none / 0) (#21)
by vml68 on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 01:07:35 PM EST

but many of my friends use Linkedin. I don't know how useful they have actually found it though.


: I think Plaxo and LinkedIn (none / 0) (#27)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 01:54:45 PM EST

are essentially the same.

My friends want me on LinkedIn (none / 0) (#22)
by nycstray on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 01:12:00 PM EST

mostly so they can pass me around for business reasons, so I'm seriously considering it. Means I need to update my info though . . .


Sounds kinda reasonable, huh? (none / 0) (#28)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 02:02:53 PM EST

: yeah, it will reconnect me with (none / 0) (#40)
by nycstray on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 03:21:39 PM EST

some contacts and create some new ones of people that know my work, but don't know I did it. It does mean updating my site (which I started to do 2yrs ago . . . lol!~ ) and that's the main hang up right now. I'm hoping to have time soon (and I'm feeling motivated) as I just found out I'm booked for April/May (YAY!)

I joined Linked-In (none / 0) (#29)
by talesoftwokitties on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 02:08:56 PM EST

I have no idea why though!


I do LinkedIn (none / 0) (#32)
by ruffian on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 02:42:40 PM EST

It is a good professional networking tool. I have not had to use it yet for myslef, but several old colleagues have me in their network and I have given some letters of recommendation.


Twitter (none / 0) (#24)
by CST on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 01:32:58 PM EST

I don't know anyone that uses Twitter except John McCain and the rest of the people in congress. Nothing says "cool" like John McCain... Jon Stewart had a funny bit on this, something to the effect of "we know it's cool, because some middle-aged journalist said young people like it".

Facebook is different, everyone is on facebook, even my mom is on facebook. Maybe it's no longer "cool" but it certainly is used.

Unlike twitter, I actually know of a few cases where something useful/good happened because of facebook and people getting in touch. The only thing "useful" that I know that's come out of twitter, is knowing that John McCain doesn't think much of tatoo removal for former gang members. You know, because we wouldn't want to help anyone who is trying to leave a gang.

Where am I? Hello? (none / 0) (#30)
by desertswine on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 02:26:56 PM EST

Consarn it!

Interesting.. (none / 0) (#41)
by galex121 on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 03:23:44 PM EST

This is just interesting.. The lifting of the friends limit comes as a pleasant surprise for people who know a lot of people.

I also find the move to being like Twitter a little expected. Although the move is not original, it does play its part in improving Facebook.

Alex.

Employee time tracking software

Good. I had to de-friend NASA (none / 0) (#42)
by coigue on Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 04:09:44 PM EST

because the b@@chy queen was telling me what it was doing 20x per day.