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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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 TECH REVIEW 
7

Facebook Lite Is Twitteresque, and That's Good

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

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(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
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)
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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

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7 comments
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2-bits
Sep 11, 09 1:57 PM CDT
I dunno, it looks kinda chunky. I'll stick with the old facebook. And the chat application disappeared, which makes me worry for its future (I use the Pidgin facebook plugin to make facebook into my regular IM service) Reply
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Jojo
Sep 11, 09 2:26 PM CDT
Facebook LITE is Twitteresque because they ran to change Facebook into Twitter when Twitter become the new thing. Facebook sucks. I don't use it and everyone I know that used it religiously has said they've quit using it entirely. They suffered the same fate as Myspace - what started out very simple and sleek and almost bare, became popular and the owners tried to capitalize and in doing so, bogged the site down with so much advertising, spam, porn bots, images, aps, options, and just stuff you have to keep up with in general, that it became a burden. No one needs so much crap and honestly I think when Twitter came along and was SO simple, people started using it more and more and using Facebook less and that is when the revelation comes into how much of a burden Facebook really is to use. Myspace = over. Facebook = over. Twitter = in. Now to just figure out what is next. Reply
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youngblood
Sep 11, 09 2:39 PM CDT
Wow, got an ax to grind? Why don't you tell us how you really feel?
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2-bits
Sep 11, 09 4:42 PM 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.
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cognitivefilter
Sep 11, 09 5:28 PM CDT
i totally love it love it, i was SO over applications, quizzes, status updates from fools i havent seen in 9 years Reply
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+3
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