Facebook is rolling out a new single-column design for users in New Zealand, almost one year after launching the timeline layout for personal and business profiles.
According to blogger Mari Smith, the new profile design incorporates a number of additional change, including the ability to organize specific sections of the profile and a redesigned “About” section.
The new timeline is housed on the left, and is reportedly wider than the current left column, leaving the right column smaller.
Current Facebook Timeline Layout vs. New Layout
(Image credit: thenextweb.com)
Facebook Cover Photos
With the timeline redesign comes a possible change in cover images. Currently, the Facebook cover image dimensions are 851px wide by 315px tall. Smith says the profile photo container is in a slightly different position, so users may need to alter their cover photo to accommodate the change.
From “Subscribers” to “Followers”
As reported by Mashable in December, Facebook recently changed the “Subscribers” nomenclature to something more Twitter-like: “Followers”. The feature allows people to to see your public updates in their news feeds.
The New “Poke” App
Facebook users can now send video, a photo or a text with the new “Poke” messaging app, Hayley Tsukayama with The Washington Post reported in December. The app is available on the iPhone as a free download.
Social Media Network ACSI Scores 2012
These changes come on the heels of the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index ratings, which shows Facebook received the lowest score of all compared with other social networks.
Google Plus and Wikipedia were the consumer favorites, scoring a tie at 78, while YouTube and Pinterest came in second and third place respectively.
Dan Richey is an SEO manager at SEO.com, and says while social networks continue to evolve, social media should be a part of a well-balanced Internet Marketing campaign.
“Many businesses do not even have a social media strategy,” Richey points out. “As search engines are increasingly incorporating social media signals into their search results, business owners need to be guided by someone who is aware of the changes and how to utilize the changes best. When you hire an SEO firm, you get the added benefit of not just one person learning the changes, but the knowledge of an entire team of people learning and testing the social media changes.”
