Facebook Inc introduced a visually richer, mobile
device-oriented “newsfeed” on Thursday, in the most significant changes
to date for the social network’s most recognizable feature.
The
changes to the newsfeed, whose look and feel has remained largely
unchanged since its inception, include a division into several sections,
with separate areas for photographs and music. They will begin rolling
out in limited fashion from Thursday.
The overhaul, which
standardizes the feed across mobile devices and desktop computers, is
designed to keep users active and interacting as well as appeal to
advertisers, as Facebook battles Google Inc for Internet market share.
CEO
Mark Zuckerberg had singled out the feature as in need of a makeover as
recently as January, when the company introduced “graph search” to
address inadequacies in allowing users to trawl for information across
the world’s largest social network.
Facebook’s newsfeed, an
ever-changing stream of photos, videos and comments uploaded from
friends, is the first page most users see upon logging in. It is one of
three “pillars” of the service, along with search and user profiles.
The
last major update to the feature occurred in September 2011. Since
then, the company has incorporated ads directly into the feed and has
shifted its focus to creating “mobile-first experiences,” because more
people now access the social network from smartphones and desktops than
from desktop computers.
The addition of advertising, however,
prompted complaints from users who preferred an unblemished stream of
personally relevant comments, underscoring the difficulty in balancing
advertiser-friendly formats – such as larger images – with keeping its 1
billion-plus members engaged.
FACEBOOK VERSUS GOOGLE
The
world’s largest social network is moving to regain Wall Street’s
confidence after a botched IPO last year, addressing concerns about its
long-term prospects – many of which center on an industry-wide shift
toward the use of mobile devices.
Facebook shares, which are still
more than a quarter off their IPO price of $38, were up 2 percent at
$27.99 on Thursday afternoon on the Nasdaq.
Facebook and Google,
which both got their start on desktop computers, are now managing a
transition of their products onto smartphones and tablets, which
typically yield less revenue than on PCs.
The two Internet
mainstays are also waging a war for revenue in mobile advertising – a
market that is still small compared with the traditional desktop but
that is growing exponentially.
In terms of overall mobile
advertising, Google commanded a 53.5 percent share in 2012, aided by its
dominance in search-based ads. Facebook had just 8.4 percent, a distant
runner-up, according to estimates from research house eMarketer.
But
in terms of mobile display ad sales, Facebook narrowly edges out its
rival with 18.4 percent of the market versus Google’s 17 percent, the
research outfit estimated.
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