59 Comments »I knew something was missing from the Facebook homepage for the past few days but not until this morning did I realize what was now absent: highlights. For those unaware of what feed highlights were, they were supposed to be the most relevant stories for a user. I noticed more recently that many of the feed stories weren’t very relevant to me and apparently many other users realized the same thing because now they’re gone.
At one point Facebook’s feed was a filtered system which automatically determined which stories were more relevant but with the Twitterfication of Facebook the feed has since become completely open. The only feed filters are friend lists and applications but if you want to find the most “relevant” feed stories you’re going to have to look elsewhere. FriendFeed has figured out their own model for determining relevant stories and so far they are the only company to maintain such technology.
As for that whole news feed optimization thing, it appears that Facebook is going to leave that up to other developers. With the open stream, developers can theoretically develop their own optimization technologies for determining the most relevant content for a user. The most recent train of thought appears to be to let users determine what content is most relevant through their own custom filters.
Facebook calls them “friend lists” and services like TweetDeck use groups instead. Whatever you want to call the filters, it appears that all of the feed filtering work has been left to the user. I’m honestly a bit confused by this model because isn’t the future of feeds about finding what information is most relevant to the user? There’s now two types of relevance: search relevance and feed relevance.
While users should have the option to view unfiltered feeds, I’d think that an auto-filter would make a lot of sense. Am I the only one that misses Facebook displaying relevant feed stories? Wasn’t the mystery behind Facebook’s feed optimization part of the intrigue?
Update
Many users are saying that they still see highlights. For me, highlights are gone from my homepage completely. I’ve reached out to Facebook to receive clarification on the issue.
Update 2
Facebook replied to say that I was part of a test which was why not all users are seeing it.
How did you get an ‘All Friends’ in your filter list? This makes so much sense but I don’t have one in my list.
I still see the highlights. Maybe you have an adblocker, which thinks that the highlights are some ads?
I have an adblocker (it takes out all the ads on FB) and I still see the highlights.
I still have it too.
Yep, it’s all there for me too.
I could see it too!
Agreed - Highlights are still there. Are you on some kind of beta program where you see updates before the rest of us?
Mine are also still there. I haven’t seen many changes at all in the last few weeks.
Mine are there too…..
Still there for me too. I did notice that ads are appearing for me again, despite having Ad Blocker installed in firefox. I wonder if they changed their layout/source and your ad blockers is now killing the highlights, too?
Hopefully they are missing for some users because they are updating how they choose stories, because my highlight section is there and 90% of the stories BLOW. Not highlights. This has been an issue since the thing was released. Maybe they are putting friend feed in charge of getting the highlights right?
So let me get this straight. You log on, don’t see the highlights section, and immediately write a post with the headline “Facebook Kills Feed Highlights. Time To Declare News Feed Optimization Dead?” without ever even checking with someone at Facebook to see if they had actually killed highlights?
I still have my highlights. And are the ones everyone posts or coments the most.
I hope they keep the highlights. I always miss when my friends post photos in the Stream section, and only figure that out when it’s in my highlights for a day or two.
I haven’t had any notifications today, either.
Jacob,
you just realized that Nick is a loose cannon?
My highlights are non-existant. I use firefox but I do not use an adblocker…. I see all the adds, but none of the highlights. I have emailed facebook several times to correct this issue, but nothing has happened yet. If it’s gone, it’s gone, but that doesn’t explain why some don’t have it but most do…
…so basically everything you just wrote is untrue. Good journalism!
I don’t have the highlights and I’ve been missing them for at least 2 weeks. There are a number of us that have complained about this but facebook is ignoring the issue!
Mine are gone too…personally I want it back. It’s been replaced by an extended “Suggestions” section, which I find totally useless. I have repeated asked for help from Facebook with no response.
…and by the way I posted a question in the so-called help section, I have had no response from Facebook but I have had a number of responses from other users that want Highlights back.
I haven’t had my Highlights for over a week now and I want it back!!! All of my friends still have theirs. Why can’t we have it back?!
My highlights have been gone for more than two weeks, contacted them several times with no response. Most of my friends highlights are gone as well.
I have an account where I have not had highlights in a few weeks. My spouse uses the same computer and browser and has highlights. I just want mine back! I have tried every browser and it is the same.
I still have mine too. It’s probably cache.
I WANT the highlights back! please?
My Highlights are missing too and I can not get any help. My husband uses the same computer, same settings and he still has his. I want my Highlights back too!!!!! Very frustrating!
My Highlights section is gone too, for over 2 weeks now. I want it back!
i want my highlights back…… now or show me how to get them back
you hit the nail on the head when you said that facebook’s mysterious newsfiltering system was party of the fun of facebook!!! I never understood how it worked, but always loved that it knew which people I would most likely want to be reading about it. I also miss when my NewsFeed was made up almost entirely of people’s wall postings. Those were the good days.
I really want the highlights back, it’s an important section
I haven´t had my Highlights for over 2 weeks, want it back? no just anoying info there anyway…. but an answer of why some have it and some don´t would be great!
Another instance of FB changing functionality and their interface right when their users are getting used to it. Do they ever actually talk to any of their users or use analytics to determine if people are using functionality?
I personally have never used filters on my wall and I doubt other people have either. With the last FB change I thought I would use them, but they seemed so difficult to figure out and time consuming ot set up that I never did it. People are lazy and want software to do the work for them. I’m sure there are some people who will actively filter content, but I bet 80-90% will not - especially if it is difficult and confusing to do.
I am so pissed off when I have something on Facebook and then they take it away and I am left wondering what I did to ruin it. Then I cannot even find how to contact Facebook and register my complaint and then I cannot get my sign in like it used to be and again I wonder if I did something and I waste time trying to figure out what I have done only to find out others are in the same boat, at least they could tell us what they are doing so we dont waste time and get a headache trying to figure things out…………
Where is my last comment and where the heck is my Highlights and my sign in is ruined and my husbands Facebook still has highlights and he never used it, and they should tell us what they are up to so I dont waste precious time trying to figure out what I have done wrong, ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i wish i had my highlights back…. i miss them!
I want my Highlights back, I noticed them missing about a week ago. My OH who uses the same laptop as me still has them. I just want someone to tell me whats happening. I’v tried contacting FB but no joy there. I don’t want a suggestions list I want highlights.
Hi thats me above Chris.
Just wanted to let you know my Highlights are back. Im very happy x
Finally my highlights are back!
I love the 40 posts from the ass faces saying the writer was out the lunch… And not one retraction when highlights started to go missing! People just love being pricks on the internet with no recourse!
Luckily it seems they were only gone for a few weeks…
Well I am having the same problem which also started a couple of days age, my Highlights are gone too, my husband and i us the same computer, his highlights are still there.
my highlites gone and showm me some “Summary-Live feed”
SEE ON THIS PICTURE http://www4.slikomat.com/09/0830/n5-untitl.jpg
please, please, please….I want my highlights section back!
my highlights have been gone for 5 days lately..
get back my highlight pleasseeee
i want my highlights back, please
just lost my highlights… dammit!!!! this sucks!! am I getting them back or what?!
I WANT MY HIGHLIGHTS BACK!!! My daughter uses the same computer and hers are there. Very Annoying!!!!
I WANT MY HIGHLIGHTS BAK
I want my highlights back ,or at least tell me whats happening
I lost my highlights for over a month now and have it replaced with the useless suggestions! how can i get my highlights back???
same problem on different computers/browsers!
WTF is wrong with Facebook? I lost my highlights section almost two weeks ago and STILL haven’t got it back. I have tried to contact Facebook to fix the problem but the so called “help” section is pathetic. What a joke. All I want is my highlights back. What can I do? I’m sick of your stupid suggestions which I have tried to close (by selecting inappropriate/offensive suggestion) but when I log on again, the same suggestion appears. Doesn’t Facebook listen to it’s users? WE ARE ALL WAITING FACEBOOK FOR YOU TO FIX THE PROBLEM
So, now what? is facebook going to share with us what it’s plans are? Kind of at their mercy, huh? And the help section is of no use at all. Would be nice to have a facebook news section for what they’re up to. It is about sharing, right?
i think there is no one that can help us out !!!
please for gots sake help us out facebook please !!!
we all want it back as soon a possible !!!
please please please
My highlights just disappeared. I have searched and searched to find out why and sent a message to Facebook, but I have not heard anything.
Based on all of your posts, I am guessing we will not get it back.
So I see that my highlights came back after I left my last message on here, i think the next day, actually. Well, they’re gone again! So maybe if I post the link on facebook AGAIN, I’ll get them back again. Wish me luck!
HAVING ISSUES w/ UR FEED??? VERY IMPORTANT..FACEBOOK IS BLOCKING ALL UR FRIENDS NEWSFEEDS EXCEPT 250 THEY CHOSE. TO UNDO BLOCK: Goto ur HOME page. Make sure your newsfeed shows LIVE FEED. Then scroll to bottom, click….. Edit Options. You…… will………… then see your NEWS FEED SETTINGS. Change the 250 to 5000 for FB’s friend limit & your feed will work right again. POST THIS & PASS IT ON!!
I want my Highlights back pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I want my highlights back!!!!
Taking away highlight did not improve facebook in any way, neither did highlights (when they where still there) bother anyone, SO WHY TAKE IT AWAY! The only thing the so called brains behind facebook achieved by doing this was to anoy users.
I just realized last night that my Highlights section is gone…BIG BUMMER!! That was helping me showcase my latest blog post link and album pictures for my clients
I want it back… but I have a feeling that we’re not getting it back 