Major Facebook redesign, smoothed-off Zuckerberg unveiled

Facebook has redesigned its user profile page, pushing more personal info and photos to the top in an effort to make it "even easier for you to tell your story and learn about your friends." The new-look page was unveiled on Sunday evening, just before Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared on the venerable TV news …

[bmovie]

Owning the whole Internet

Also in the 60 Minutes interview, under the "owning the whole Internet" (or controlling it), the "social" aspect of asking friends for their thoughts on a product, say a Prius, had better standing than searching on Google (Facebook vs. Google) (Facebook recruiting from Google, including the chef)— should put manufacturers and advertisers on notice. You make a lousy product, all the PR and all the media blitz you produce will mean nothing.

I think we will buy with, agree with, and possibly vote with our Facebook "friends"—a critical mass to contend with.

Oh, and you should have counted all those Macbooks those Nerds were using!

[Anonymous Coward]

"[Facebook friends'] thoughts on a product, say a Prius"

"had better standing than searching [for reviews] on Google "

Not many people would buy a car without talking to anyone about it first. It seems fairly unremarkable that people would ask their Facebook friends for opinions.

But what about the other 90% of the crap people buy? Are people constantly seeking their mates' approval of every purchasing decision?

I suppose it's always worth putting out a brief "have you tried product x? give me a yay or nay". But if that turns up a blank then you're pretty much stuffed as far as Facebook is concerned.

And what if you'd rather not have your entire "social network" be able to keep precise tabs on your spending habits? Let alone Zuckerberg and his greasy friends.

[Anonymous Coward]

"only human"

Not really, you are a corporation and as such are not human. You have the capacity of a legion of humans and the morality of none. You should be held to a far higher degree of conduct than an individual since it takes many people to make decisions and implementations and if your corporation is so riddled with failure that nobody puts their hand up and stops a mistake before it comes out then you deserve punishment.

[Jean-Luc]

rant much?

FB is a tool and really, the biggest problem seems to be the stuff that users willingly upload without thinking of the ramifications.

you are always free not to use FB.

Or you avoid putting anything remotely usable for identity theft or embarrassing, which is what I do. I don't trust them much, but I don't go hysterical either.

The diaspora project apparently has security firmly on the back burner, simmering very low, if at all, from what's been reported here.

Big fan of Chomsky's? That explains things then.

[Anonymous Coward]

oh lordy.

It's not web2.0 anymore, now it's called "telling your story". Everyone has a story don't they? Today I had some tea, tomorrow I'll have the same kind of tea again. Highly riveting shit isn't it?

"There's also a new section on the left-hand side of the page that lets you list the most important people in your life."

So like what Myspace had shortly before everyone left en masse?

"ever-so-briefly forcing a smile."

Don't put yourself out mate.

"The twins claim that Zuckerberg 'pre-meditatively sandbagged' them."

A bunch of college boys up to no good? Are you sure you're not thinking about a different kind of bag?

[thecakeis(not)alie]

Details, man!

What kind of tea was it?!? You can't leave me hanging like this!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Facebook PR speak

The Facebook PR waffle seems to be evolving into an entirely new branch of the English language, one which finally achieves the great PR Nirvana in which entire sentences can be constructed that contain absolutely no usable information or meaning that can be thrown back in the face of the speaker. A lot less content than candy floss, say.

As an experience, its a bit like that soporific not-quite-a-hum background noise you get in lifts, that imparts nothing useful, yet vaguely reassures you that the lift is actually working and not about to deliver some unpleasant surprise.

Just sit back, relax, post all your innermost secrets and let us take control and turn your private life into our private profit...

[Andy Hards]

and it's not like the really neeeed the money now is it.

I mean, they've already taken a nice share of someone elses lottery win. Suck it up bitch!

[JaitcH]

The nest Facebook page is one with a bold ...

404 - as seen in China and VietNam and a few other enlightened countries.

[Tempest]

@The nest Facebook

Did you mean to say: The Best Facebook page is the one with a bold?

(I agree)

[Anonymous Coward]

Probably the 'best'...

..."but the keyboard is too small for my fingers and I hit send without 'looking up'."

[trottel]

Not true

Everyone in Vietnam is on Facebook...

[EvilJason]

What is wrong with this guy?

Everything he said that is now on the public listing can be used to either stalk you or rob your identity more easily.

Never mind advertisers scraping facebook for information on you, scammer and criminals will be doing the same now.

[Elmer Phud]

yeah but

Only if you put the info there to be copied.

Running with minimal or false persnal info is common with Facebook. The way people go on about 'privacy' you'd think it was obligatory to also supply a verified DNA sample, a full family tree that goes back 200 years and your credit card number and PIN.

woe is me the world is faling in etc. etc.

meh

[Matt 21]

It's a bit like reasing that they've changed the wallpaper in the Vic

...I'm aware that there are people who watch Eastenders I just don't know any. Mind you at least with Eastenders I've got a vague idea why someone might turn it on but Facebook.......... OK, if you're a 13 year old girl but otherwise?

[Blofeld's Cat]

Motive

"OK, if you're a 13 year old girl"

Or a 48-year old bloke, pretending to be a 13-year old girl, hoping to meet 13-year old girls.

I tried watching Eastenders but if found the lead characters' charm and relentless cheerfulness as they pranced nimbly around their carefree, Disney-fied fantasy land, just too cloying and sentimental.

[Anonymous Coward]

A 13 year old girl....

...or someone with a social life beyond the few 'friends' you have on IRC where you spend your evenings spouting tired internet memes? See, two can play at generalising.

There seems to be a lot of unfounded bitterness here directed towards Facebook so lets get some things straight. First off, not using Facebook does not make you superior in any way, it just doesn't. Sure, Facebook isn't for everyone and if you don't like it or don't have a need for it there's nothing wrong with staying away. However, if you're sitting there right now with a smug sense of satisfaction because you're not a member of the 'ignorant masses' who use the service, then I really suggest you take a deeper look at your self because you've got some nasty issues going on.

Second, everyone here is well aware that Zuckerburg et al want to harvest as much of your info as possible and sell it on. What baffles me is that a lot of you seem to be under the impression that the vast majority of other services on the net aren't also trying to do this. You wouldn't post under your real name on a forum, you wouldn't post your address or national insurance number in a public chat room, yet you assume you have to enter all of your personal info into Facebook to use the service. An email address and a user name are all you need, I wonder if you were quite so up-in-arms when El Reg required such details to sign up for an account? I'm aware that there are a lot of Facebook users who will post all their details, nude pictures of themselves and their current location but then there are also a lot of people who respond to phishing emails with their bank account details and you don't blame Gmail or Hotmail for that...

[TeeCee]

Oh dear.

So Zuckerberg wears socks with sandals?

Is projecting the image of being the world's saddest little git something he works at, or does it just come naturally?

[Anonymous Coward]

Germerican

Surname: Zuckerberg.

Footwear combo of choice: Socks with sandals.

He couldn't be more German if his first name were Hans.

Now...where did I put my beach towel?...

[Yossarian]

RE: Germerican

You forgot ignorent, aggressive, over inflated sense of importance...

I like Germans, but it is true!

His name means "Sugar Mountain" though, how sweet :)

[Anonymous Coward]

Christ on a bike

I'd wear sandals made from unicorn hide with if I had his sort of cash.

One of the advantages of having more money than Croesus is that you can wear whatever the hell you like, and when people laugh, you can sneak a peek at your bank balance then laugh your tits off, in the simple knowledge you CAN wear whatever the hell you like, and the people laughing at your certainly cannot.

[Stephen Gazard]

identity theft

This is great for identity theft. since when do you want your complete birthday posted on a screen that's the first thing a person reads.

Oh, and apparently all your previous locations are there, where you work, so stalking is even easier. I don't give out all that information in a bar, and I know no one who would. He's a little detached from the world

[ChrisInBelgium]

Thanks for the heads up

Just a thought: changes to our profile page --> meaning all the settings will be set to "Everybody" and "Public" again. Wanna bet?

[adnim]

Time to pay a visit?

I haven't logged into Facebook since I created an account and Facebook page to advertise my business.

Personal information? I disclosed my real name and my business web address whilst being aware that a who is lookup on my business domain name will reveal my real address. I am running a honest business, in that respect I have nothing to hide.

No I don't meet strangers in bars and tell them my life history or what I had for breakfast.

I suggest taking advantage of whatever is out there and using it for your own benefit. Playing and being played are not the same thing.

[slack]

One of these days

I'll get around to setting up a facebook account.

I am sure it must be great..

[Bilgepipe]

Non Sequitur

On privacy: "Do we get it right all the time? No," he said. "But it's something that we take really seriously, and every day, we come to work and try to do a great job on this..."

But didn't Mr Zuckerberk also say:

"The age of privacy is over"

So which is it, Mark?

[Anonymous Coward]

'nuff said...

http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2010/11/06/facebook-dick-around-with-things-to-piss-you-off-yet-again/

[Anonymous Coward]

Socks with sandals?

I knew it.

[mmm mmm]

Great

I wonder if this will go as smoothly as the other "upgrades" they've done in the past before throwing a spaz?

[Anonymous Coward]

here's a radical idea

There are 2 billion web sites in the world. If you don't like wasting your time on this one, why not try another one?

a cursory investigation will reveal that over half of them contain pornography which by definition makes them more interesting than facebook

[Jamie Jones]

better privacy

Whilst I don't like the changes, I take issue with the statement that they will encourage people to share more personal info.

If anything, it's the other way around. The info that is being displayed was always visible to anyone who cared to click the persons 'info' link.

Now, if people are uncomfortable seeing their info visible, they can take steps to remove it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Nowt wrong ...

... wi socks and sandals.

[Anonymous Coward]

According to the latest Wikileaks...

Zuckerberg admitted to a US diplomat that he didn't actually have a FB account of his own - the company have an account in his name looked after by a part-time builder called Steve from Stoke-on-Trent.