Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Facebook Lite Is Twitteresque, and That's Good

Pages are easier to read and faster to load, but that may not survive advertising

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 11, 2009 1:32 PM CDT

(Newser) – As far as Facebook is concerned, the “liter” the better, writes Rafe Needleman for CNET. The site’s scaled-down “Lite” version is now available in the US and India, and the "new layout feels simpler and faster, almost Twitter-like.” Gone is “most of the navigation and info page that was on the left,” leaving users undistracted by the “mostly superfluous details that resided there.”

The bare-bones approach means that in addition to a “simpler” and “easier to read” experience, pages “load faster due to what appears to be HTML optimization,” Needleman writes. His profile page is now a svelte 11K, down from 44K in “Classic,” and “all pages on the site seem to be affected” positively. One caveat: the smaller pages are likely “courtesy of a dramatically decreased advertising load, which I doubt we can count on continuing.”

Facebook Classic.
Facebook "Classic."   (AP Photo)
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg poses at his office in Palo Alto, Calif.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg poses at his office in Palo Alto, Calif.   (AP Photo)
Facebook Lite approaches the simplicity of Twitter.
Facebook Lite approaches the simplicity of Twitter.   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

It appears, at a quick glance, to be a better site for Facebook newbies or for anyone who finds the current site overwhelming or noisy. It also pushes the old-school Facebook apps off a cliff, which is just as well.
- Rafe Needleman on Facebook Lite

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 6 comments
GeminiMishy
Oct 27, 2009 8:16 AM CDT
Why did you add these "fools?"
cognitivefilter
Sep 11, 2009 10:28 AM CDT
i totally love it love it, i was SO over applications, quizzes, status updates from fools i havent seen in 9 years
2-bits
Sep 11, 2009 9:42 AM CDT
Wow. Porn bots and spam? I have yet to see that. Hell, most of the stuff you mentioned is optional. For me it is what it is always: a fun way to keep up with friends. Maybe it's because my friends aren't constantly trying to make me into vampire whatever, your mileage may vary. I just sort of log in, check some status updates and message boards, and then check out. Not too much time at all.
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne