by samFacebook is known for constantly updating and improving its site due to the high volume of traffic and constant additions people make to their social networking page. Improvements are usually implemented without question, and before you know it, you’re used to the new layout and can’t even remember how you survived using the old format. This week, users will find that Facebook is updating an old feature in a new way. They are automatically updating lists on your profile to save the user time and energy based on information we give daily by measuring posts, locations, education, etc. to list certain friends in certain groups.
The smart lists have been designed to group your contacts into specific groups that Facebook believes are the most convenient for the majority of their users. This might be why you suddenly see a rush in all your contacts adding their education, workplaces, and locations to the ‘About Me’ part of their profile. The lists even venture into ‘Areas’, working out who is still around in the area you currently reside in based on what they’ve been posting on their pages.
The benefits of this latest set of improvements from the social networking site are that they save you time by automatically suggesting friends for each list and grouping them automatically together. Facebook appears to be responding directly to its audience and listening to the feedback it gained before launching improvements in 2011. Facebook and Google+ have been showing similar patterns in their systems throughout the last year, with the smart lists being criticised for appearing all too similar to Google circles. However, with competition high between the two, it all seems rather more like healthy rivalry than total plagiarism.
In addition to smart lists, the ‘Close and acquaintances friends’ list has suggestions instead of direct groupings, allowing the user a more personal and hands-on approach in deciding who they speak to the most and share content with. This type of social media management makes it easier to see what content is available to others on your profile. Suggestions are generated by information carefully compiled by how much you actively interact with these people on Facebook and are therefore usually correct. Facebook allows for a simple rejuvenation of your home page; go straight to photos and updates from the friends you care about most. Skip the news from acquaintances you don’t know so well.
The smart friend lists follow shortly after a complete review and revamp of privacy settings, making it easier to limit the content you share and who has access to your profile. The ‘Work friends’ list now has similarities to how a LinkedIn profile is constructed, only sharing the information you want shared with potential employers. Utilising social media management to its maximum and encouraging users to use Facebook to its full potential.