7 Facebook Wishes For 2014
Facebook botched some changes in 2013, but what will next year bring? Here's our wish list.
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Facebook users voice their dislikes as often as that new mom down the street posts baby pics. And in 2013, Facebook gave people plenty of fodder. Proposed privacy changes created user outrage, prompting even the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether Facebook violated an agreement with federal regulators.
Facebook users also spoke up when the social network announced it would loosen settings for teenagers, allowing them to post publicly. And when Graph Search privacy implications became apparent, users criticized the social network for taking advantage of old user content.
In March, Facebook announced a drastic newsfeed redesign that included separate feeds for photos, news, and more. Nine months later, the social network backtracked: According to reports, it has canned a broader rollout, since the changes just didn't resonate with users.
[Dislike, sympathize, TMI... What new Facebook buttons would you add? Read 8 More Facebook Buttons We Want.]
But Facebook didn't just launch flops in 2013. Earlier this year, it added new ways to keep your account safe, including the new Trusted Friends feature, and it finally enabled secure browsing for all users.
Facebook also added a few innovative features to its portfolio. In January, the social network announced that people could use Facebook's Messenger app to place free calls to Facebook friends. Most recently, Facebook expounded on its mobile features with OpenTable integration, which lets you make dinner reservations on the go through a restaurant's Facebook page. It also improved photo albums by letting you name select friends who can contribute to a shared album.
So what's in store for the social network in 2014? Experts agree that Facebook will continue its push into mobile advertising, which users will undoubtedly resist.
What would we like from Facebook in 2014? Tell us how you like these ideas.
1. Timeline Search
Facebook's Graph Search does an OK job of resurfacing some information. For example, photos of you and Mike, nearby restaurants, and friends who live in San Francisco. But it doesn't help you in situations where a friend asks you to send her that link you shared a couple months ago. You could scroll through your posts month by month, but that's time consuming. Instead, a keyword search of your profile -- and your friends' profiles -- would be ideal in helping you find content from weeks, months, or years ago.
Facebook's proposed news feed design was on point with its execution of filters. The buttons, found on the right side of your feed, let you filter posts by photos, music, pages you follow, games, group news, all friends, and more. While there are ways you can filter content in your news feed, you must set up lists first.
While Facebook struggles with how best to show users the right content, here's another idea: Let us choose. Filters may not show us the content we want, but they could filter out content we don't want, such as the omnipresent baby and food pictures.
Given the volume of content in the news feed, no one has time to check out all links to articles and photo albums immediately. Facebook needs a bookmarking system for such content: Click an icon and Facebook adds it to a "Read Later" section that you can revisit when you have more time.
Earlier this year, Facebook removed the setting "Who can look up your Timeline by name?" The setting, however, was a little deceiving: While it prevented your profile from appearing in searches, people could still find you if, for example, a friend tagged you in a photo or commented on one of your posts.
Adding a setting that keeps you truly unsearchable would be a win for users who are weary of Facebook's increasingly lax stance on privacy and those who prefer a smaller, more private social circle.
Facebook could gain easy bonus points with users if it made some important actions easier, for example, untagging photos. In Facebook mobile apps, users must navigate a maze of menus to find the untagging feature. On the web-based version, it's not much easier, requiring four steps. A simple button that appears on photos you're tagged in would be a welcome addition.
Facebook updates and comments now support emoticons, but users don't yet have the capability to italicize, underline, or bold text. This basic change could help you better communicate your message.
You're probably not interested in everything every one of your friends posts, but certain ones may pique your interest: sports posts from a local news station or posts in which your best friends are tagged, for example. With interest notifications, you'd specify a list of keywords, and when posts containing those words or phrases were posted, you'd receive a notification ensuring you don't miss the information that matters most to you.
What capabilities or features do you want to see from Facebook next year? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below.
Senior editor Kristin Burnham covers social media, social business, and IT leadership and careers for InformationWeek.com. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter: @kmburnham.
What capabilities or features do you want to see from Facebook next year? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below.
Senior editor Kristin Burnham covers social media, social business, and IT leadership and careers for InformationWeek.com. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter: @kmburnham.
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