Last week, I wrote two posts about the upgrades being made to Facebook Pages. Basically, the new layout more closely mirrors personal profiles, and there is some new functionality, such as being able to use Facebook as if you are logged in as your page, not as you.
Both posts have received a fair number of comments with suggestions on what Facebook should and should not have done, and how the new design is already challenging users.
Here are five of the most prominent suggestions made by SitePoint readers.
1. Tabs Should Not Become Sidebar Links
In the new Page upgrade, Facebook is doing away with the popular tab feature and making all of the tabs into links on the left hand side of Pages, underneath the profile image.
Most people who commented about this wanted to know who this change really served. The overall consensus was that it almost certainly does not serve businesses. From Laneth:
Those side-links are NEVER where I think to go first when looking for things on the FB site due to years of looking for the directional links at the top of each page – that’s where it’s always been, why change it now??
2. Relevance Posting and Wall Filtering Should Be Less Restrictive
The mysterious wall filter and how it all works is an ongoing concern for many who commented on my previous posts. No one is exactly sure why it works the way it does, or even how it’s supposed to work. This is what SitePoint readers had to say.
From Alyssa (not me):
This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. It is vital for me to have all my posts show, but I also have encouraged our community to post. If they can’t see all the posts, they are missing out on the flow.
From Amy Tranter:
…people only see what I post and not all the interaction and giveaways and things we do to keep fans in the loop.
From NY:
I do NOT like the relevance posting. I want chronological order. This has been the biggest fiasco as far as customer service goes.
From Wilson Tech for Adult Students:
Also, I cannot figure out what parameters Facebook used to determine what posting was more relevant than another. Shouldn’t our business model have something to say as to what we think is relevant?
3. FBML Icons for All (former) FBML Tabs Are Confusing
Along with moving the tabs to links under the profile graphic, now all FBML tabs have the standard FBML icon. The consensus is that these icons are not as user friendly and make navigation more cumbersome for Page visitors.
From Alyssa (really not me, I swear):
I’m also not a fan of the new navigation for the reason you mentioned (the icons don’t jive) and it seems to make important business tabs less important. Out of sight, out of mind.
4. The Changes Are Overcomplicated and Not Necessarily Better
Most commentors agreed that Facebook has over complicated things with these changes. Here’s a sampling of what SitePoint readers had to say.
From Dude:
Why couldn’t they have just added fan page notifications into your personal notifications? They could just be tagged ‘business page’ or something like that so you’d know where it came from. Instead I have to constantly switch back and forth between the two as my active account. And suddenly I have two different news feeds to look at? Facebook missed the boat here. Simplify instead of over-complicate.
From Roxanne Ready, Ready Designs:
So conversely, if I’m not using FB as my page but post to my page’s wall, I’ll be posting as myself? Bleh, all that does is add an extra step of switching profiles before I can post anything.
From LA_Antley:
…switching from each profile is cumbersome and too likely to cause a cross-post, which may not be easy to correct once it happens.
While these criticisms, suggestions and questions may not reach Facebook, perhaps other SitePoint readers will discover solutions, workarounds and fixes for some of them. Now that we’re almost a week deep into the upgrade, what have you learned about the new layout? How are you making the new design work for your Page?
Alyssa GregoryAlyssa Gregory is a digital and content marketer, small business consultant, and the founder of the Small Business Bonfire — a social, educational and collaborative community for entrepreneurs.
