Facebook redesigns Pages; will offer better interaction between businesses and customers

Facebook has revamped its Pages service on mobile devices, in an attempt to attract more businesses by giving them a new way to showcase their products on the social-media platform. The company wishes to offer businesses more ways to communicate or interact with customers using their smartphones, tablets and desktop. The layout will launch in the ‘coming weeks.’

Facebook says that, “We’re adding new features to Pages to make it easier for the more than 45 million active businesses on Facebook to highlight important information and reach their goals.”

In addition, “The new features for Pages reflect our belief that no matter if you’re a plumbing company, a flower shop, a non-profit or a brand, your Page should house the information people are looking for, help you communicate with your customers and support your unique goals.”

With the upgrade, one will get Page call-to-action buttons on mobile are more prominent, making it easier for businesses to use their Page to reach out to more consumers. It is directly available under the Page cover photo, so that you cannot miss it. The company is also testing several new call-to-action buttons on mobile, including ‘Call Now,’ ‘Send Message’ and ‘Contact Us,’ making it easier for people and businesses to connect directly.

Among the changes, Facebook also announced two new sections for Pages. According to Facebook, the new Shop section helps retail businesses bring their products to the forefront of their Page, while the new Services section enables professional services businesses to showcase a list of their offerings at the top of their Page. This way, a Spa can add their services menu to their Page or highlight the line of products they sell, helping people get to know their business faster.

In the end, Facebook has improvised on the layout hoping to make it easier for users to navigate through Pages on mobile. The company will offer each Page section with a corresponding tab, just like how videos and photos have their own tabs.

When the service is launched, Page visitors will be able to click on the tab associated with a section to see more details. Additionally, the Home tab will also contain highlights of each section, so relevant information is front and centre when someone first gets to a Page.

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Instagram finally allows users to shoot in landscape mode; Square mode also stays on

Instagram has added new layout options in addition to its signature square for pictures and videos in a bid to attract more advertisers and to stop users defecting to more flexible services such as Snapchat.

The move is the first major alteration to the photo-sharing, social media service since Facebook Inc bought it for $1 billion in 2012, and addresses the wishes of many of its 300 million users, who have been constrained by the square format.

“It boils down to giving advertisers and users more options,” said Debra Aho Williamson, a social media marketing and advertising analyst. “You want people to be able to see more of your ad. It’s something advertisers are definitely going to be interested in.”

One in five photos and videos posted on the service do not fit the square format, Instagram said in a blog post. “Friends get cut out of group shots, the subject of your video feels cramped and you can’t capture the Golden Gate Bridge from end to end,” it said.

Image: Instagram Blog

From Thursday, Instagram’s web-based service and its mobile apps running on Google Inc’s Android system and Apple Inc’s iOS will allow portrait and landscape formats, giving both users and paying advertisers more options.

The move should help Instagram in its battle with newer rivals such as Snapchat for users in the fast-moving messaging and media-sharing market.

At the same time, it should attract more advertising revenue for Instagram, which said in June it would open its platform to all advertisers by the end of the year, rather than just to select brands.

Instagram is expected to generate nearly $600 million in advertising revenue by the end of this year and $2.8 billion in 2017, according to projections from research firm eMarketer.


Instagram Video in Landscape - Examples from Instagram on Vimeo.

By comparison Facebook, the world’s most popular online social network, generated more than $12 billion in revenue in 2014. The growing service hit one billion users in a single day for the first time on Monday.

To promote the new formats on Thursday, Walt Disney Co released exclusive footage of its upcoming film, “Star Wars, The Force Awakens,” using the new landscape option.

Instagram for iOS version 7.5 is available today in Apple’s App Store, and Instagram for Android version 7.5 is available today on Google Play.

Reuters

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Twitter just killed your custom background; replaces it with ‘plain white’

Twitter has made an integral design change, which hasn’t been well accepted by users. Earlier, Twitter would allow users to select any wallpaper or customised images for its timeline. But now, Twitter is going for a more uniform look.



Twitter has given a plain white background to all users when viewing their profile, notifications and main timeline. Users still have the option to change their profile photo, header photo and theme colour; but, the background will remain plain white preventing individuals/companies from using brand logos or images behind their profiles.

“We’re removing background images from the home and notifications timelines on web for all users,” a Twitter spokesperson told Mashable. “Now, background images are only available where logged-in users will see them publicly (Tweet pages, list pages and collections pages). You can find help center content about customizing your design and where it’s visible on Twitter here.”

There is no official reason provided by the company as to why this change has been implemented. However, a report by TechCrunch believes that Twitter wants more ‘control of their ad display experience’. Basically, users should not be surprised if an ad-based background takes over their timeline.

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