In an effort to remain hip, it is infusing the focal point of its website with a more dynamic look and additional controls designed to empower its 1 billion users to sort streams of photos and other material into more organized sections that appeal to their personal interests.

The changes unveiled Thursday are an attempt to address complaints that Facebook's hub — the News Feed — is degenerating into a jumble of monotonous musings and disjointed pictures. This has come as users' social circles have widened from a few dozen people to an unwieldy assortment of friends, family, businesses, celebrities, co-workers and fleeting acquaintances.

That evolution requires a more nuanced approach than the computer-generated algorithms that Facebook has been relying on to pick out the most relevant content to display in each user's News Feed. The growing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers equipped with high-quality cameras also is turning the News Feed into a more visual gallery, another shift that Facebook is tackling by carving out more space to display photos and video.

Continue Reading...

A preview video of the new Myspace shows that the new version of the site will sport a completely overhauled new look that seems to take a few cues from Pinterest, Tumblr and About.me. Users will be able to log in via Facebook and Twitter in addition to creating their own native profiles. The new profile features a large background image with a smaller profile photo in the upper left-hand corner. A stream of photos and status updates is arranged to the right of the screen in a manner that will be familiar to anyone who has used Pinterest.

In addition to the renewed focus on user profiles, the new Myspace will also allow users to create, share and discover music playlists, find music events, and, of course, interact with celebrities. There are also new tools for artists designed to help them communicate intelligently with their fan base(s).

Watch the trailer below:

Continue Reading...