There are new changes to Facebook almost every month that cause a lot of panic and irritation among its users. Although it has been seen that most of the users adjust to these changes in a while, the constant barrage of changes has become a sore point for quite a number or users. Moreover, there are many changes that users are unaware of or cannot see as they happen in the background and has to do with how user data is stored and managed. Privacy has always been an issue with Facebook and the information that it collects from its users is never deleted even if the user has deactivated his/her account.
Most importantly, there are so many big and small changes to Facebook that many users remain unaware of these changes. Some of these changes can be very helpful in finding new contacts, engaging with others and advertising a brand. Here are some things that you need to know about the changes in Facebook functionalities.
1 – Photo and album tags can be a pain
Timeline was a much debated change on Facebook with many users threatening to quit the social networking platform if the Timeline was released. The original Timeline has undergone many changes, many of which can completely ruin your privacy. One such feature is the geo-tagging feature that allows users to tag albums and photos to a place.
Once photos have been geo-tagged they appear on the map and almost everyone can see where you have been and when. Also, your friends can tag you in their pictures, which can lead to some embarrassing pictures of you being seen by people you would rather hide these images from. You will have to manually untag all these photos or ask your friends to untag them if you can’t.
2 – Facebook mails are not private
This is a change that has shocked many. Facebook users often use Facebook mails to send private messages to one and other but few are aware that Facebook scans all private messages. It has even admitted to doing so. If you mention a URL of a website or Facebook page in private message, the counter for the likes that the page has received goes up proving that all private messages are scanned. If you want your emails to be private, use another email client.
3 – Unpopularity of Facebook pages is more obvious
There are quite a few Facebook pages that have a substantial number of likes even though there is barely any activity on the page. Earlier, users would have to check the dates of the post to see how active the page is. However, now the number of people talking about the page is prominently displayed showing users exactly how much activity is on the page. Make sure you update your Facebook page regularly.
4 – You can change dates on updates
You may think that the dates on status updates are permanent but they are not thanks to the new Timeline. You can backdate your posts on your Facebook page by clicking on the pencil icon on the post and using the Change Date option. Refreshing your page after changing the date will help you see the new date on the posts.
5 – People can privately message your page
This is one of the biggest changes to Facebook pages so far. Earlier, people could message only other users on Facebook and not business pages. The private messaging feature has now been activated for business pages too and the admins of the pages can see these private messages in their Admin panels. This is a great way to divert negative comments and customer complaints away from your Timeline and into your admin panel so that you can address such problems without them becoming public.
Anyone have other tips to share about recent FB changes?
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Jessica Davis is a Content Strategy Specialist with Godot Media – a leading Content Services Company. She has years of experience in working closely with online businesses, helping them refine their marketing strategy through optimum use of content. She works closely with other copywriters at Godot Media. Her other interests – besides online content strategy, internet marketing and search engine optimization – are technology, sports and fashion.
