This evening Facebook began testing a new feature that displays featured images for those users who “have very few friends” as a way to get them engaged. The feature, which was first spotted by hotlou.com, has a design which resembles large online media publications like Gawker media, and even Techcrunch. With large featured images at the top, the aim is to get stories that will get the user engaged, rather than displaying an empty feed.
It’s a key issue that Twitter has faced as users who aren’t following other people, aren’t quite sure how to get engaged on the service. Fortunately, Facebook has rapidly reached all those who are “connected” in some form, and the more connected users become, the more engaged they tend to be. However there is a growing percentage of users who aren’t connected and engaging these users is becoming more important.
Hence, it’s not surprising to see that Facebook is testing out this new design. A Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider the following: “This is a test we’re running to a small percentage of users who have very few friends on Facebook. This is simply to help them discover interesting content and create an instantly valuable experience for them.”
For now it’s a test just like many others that Facebook regularly pushes out. Below is a screenshot first published on Hotlou.com.
I think this new format will be wonderful, but then again I am not a professional in this business.
Comment by Lori Hughes — June 23, 2010 @ 1:51 am
Lebowski!!!! Where's my money!!
Comment by guest — June 23, 2010 @ 8:00 am