Facebook Launches New Profile

On Sunday evening, during a taping of 60 Minutes, Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced the release of a new user profile. Based upon that interview and the subsequent announcement this morning on the Facebook Blog, we find that user profiles now include the following enhancements:  

• Basic profile information
• Recently tagged images
• Featured friends and groups
• Interests and activities
• Infinite scroll feature for photos
• Improved friend page
• Friendship page
  

Basic Profile Information

One of the most noticeable changes on the profile is the list of biographical items. Items listed include job title, birthday, and city of residence. While not an exhaustive list, it does provide a basic overview.

Recently Tagged Images

The next change many visitors will notice are the images running immediately under the basic profile information. Pictures find their way to this section when friends and family tag them. Those images you wish to hide are easily removed when clicked on the "X."

Featured Friends and Groups

On the left hand side, there is a list of friends, family, and individuals from groups you are a member of. The order and number of groups is something you can control in the profile settings area.

Interests and Activities

Under the "Info" section of your profile, you can list a number of things from education to favorite sport teams. Each section offers a picture and additional information. One update I particularly find useful is the project or class option. Under these areas, you can add a description and list friends who may have contributed to the project or been a member of the class.

Anyone tagged under the project or class will automatically receive credit on their profile. If you're familiar with tagged pictures, this features will do something similar.

Infinite Scroll For Pictures 

Tired of having to scroll through photo albums to find pictures of friends? Starting today, visitors can review photos through an infinite scroll feature. To view, click on a friend's photo page and simply scroll down. Don't worry about page numbers, because there are none. Just keep scrolling.

Friends Page

Finding friends is much easier with the updated search function. Facebook users can click on the "Friends" section and search by location, city, hometown, workplace, school, or interest.

Friendship Page

While not totally new, the profile makes viewing friendships much easier to find. Located in the upper right hand corner of the page, you can view how you and others are connected. To take it a step further, you can also view how your friends relate. What are their shared interests?

Conclusion
Overall, I'm happy with the changes. The basic profile information, friendship pages, and photos will probably get a lot of use from me. I intend to use these areas to meet new people and stay abreast of what my friends are doing. Although, I don't think the changes are life altering nor deserve a great deal of fanfare. It's cool and the changes should make things easier, but that's about it.

Don't see the new profile yet? Facebook says they will be rolling it out over the coming months, but if you're interested, you can get it now by visiting this link: www.facebook.com/about/profile.

What do you think about the changes? Are you pleased? Disappointed? Or somewhere in between? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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