Facebook to Create Web-Wide 'Like' Button

Writers sound off on big changes

(NEWSER) - The hype surrounding yesterday’s big Facebook announcement wasn’t misplaced: This really was a massive status update, and as you might expect, it’s generating a lot of comments. Here’s what people are saying:

• “Timeline brings a long-overdue overhaul to Facebook’s interface,” which previously looked “like what would happen if a goat ate a book about how to design websites,” writes Andy Ihnatko of the Chicago Sun-Times . The new features should be great, “feeding you news, info and entertainment that’s probably going to be of great interest to you.”
• Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post on the other hand is terrified that the changes represent “the end of alone,” seeing in them an Orwellian plan to “erase our memory of a time when we weren’t on Facebook.”
• Timeline is perfect for “the self-obsessed ‘brand me’ zeitgeist,” writes Chris Davies of Slashgear . “But look. You’re a special person. Really special. But I’m not particularly interested in browsing through my own baby photos … I’m really falling short when it comes to enthusiasm about seeing yours.”
• The reaction from users online has been mixed, according to USA Today , though their readers seem pretty united; in an unscientific poll, only 5% say they like the changes, with 73% against, and 22% indifferent.
• Our favorite comment from that USA Today article? "I am preparing myself for the sudden realization that I live a really lame life when I scroll through my Timeline."

Now, 'Top News' is always on top of page

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Open-source Facebook rival gathers steam

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Shy people have a lot of clicking to do

(NEWSER) - If you want to understand Facebook's privacy policy, you better have a comfy chair and lots of time on your hands. At 5,830 words, the policy is longer than the US Constitution (a pithy 4,543 words), the New York Times notes. And that's assuming you understand all the legalese; if not, you'll have to turn to the privacy FAQ, which weighs in at over 45,000 words. More»

Social networking site readies location-based technology

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