Over the past few weeks, Facebook has made a bucket load of changes to the social networking site and it is not showing any signs of
halting the process any time soon. At F8 conference, the company introduced some new features including 'TimeLine', which completely changes the UI of the popular networking site.
Speaking at F8 Conference, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, introduced the new feature and called it the "new way to explain who you are". Essentially, what TimeLine does is to give more prominence to the latest happenings. It provides detailed view of the latest, while keeping the story short and sweet for things happened in the past. However, it gives you the option to tinker with the presentation of TimeLine, and if you want your distant past to be highlighted, then your command will be duly obeyed. TimeLine will also have map compatibility, whereby you can use to get updates based on locational preference. Facebook will be rolling out this new layout over the period of next few months. As always, we expect a large number of users to show their outrage over the new changes.
Facebook also announced its collaboration with Netflix and Spotify. We are not entirely surprised by the Spotify revelation. The rumors about this collaboration had been doing rounds for quite some time and Mark Zuckerberg had been dropping quite a few clues lately. With these developments, Facebook is not only looking to steal Google+' thunder but is also quietly encroaching upon Apple's iTunes territory. With Spotify tie-up, Facebook users would now be able share their music with their contacts. The Ticker feature will also let you listen to music together with your friends. So, no need to get off the couch, you can serenade your friends, while enjoying the comfort of your couch.
However, the new features would not be able globally. For example, Facebook-Netflix collaboration will not work in the US, their home country. Initially, the service would be available 44 countries including Canada and Latin American countries. Netflix stated that the service would not be available in the US due to complex copyright and privacy laws.
Another new feature added to the network is Open Graph. Its latest version will help developers in building their apps to be more "social friendly". With this new feature, you can integrate the various apps right into your timeline. A little box at the top will also show your activities using that app.
The beta version of TimeLine is now open for developers. Similarly, other services such as movies, music and TV are also live now. However, the biggest question still remains! Would Facebook be able to weather the Google+ storm? Google has finally made its networking venture public and now you do not need an invitation to join the network. Google+ initially had great success, but lately its charm seemed to be ebbing down. However, Facebook has shown us that it is not making any mistakes and is not taking the competition lightly. According to some industry experts, Facebook's new layout seems to be heavily influenced from Google+ UI. But hey, everything is fair in love and war. If you have got the chance to try out new Facebook feature, then let us know your views.