Some of you already may have it, but Facebook, never content with the status quo
(:-P) is changing up the look of your Facebook Page’s Interface.
I finally got mine the other day, and I have to say, I think it’s a giant improvement.
The former, two-column design would have your posts go left-right-left-right. Now, with just one column, it’s much more streamlined and easy to read.
The information that used to be just below your cover image (namely, about information, and apps) has now shifted to the left-hand sidebar. Your main column has your posts in reverse chronological order. In the left-hand sidebar, you’ll find your Likes, About, Apps, Photos, Videos, Posts to Page, and Likes.
Sizes of Cover Images and Profile pics remain the same, so you don’t have to worry about mucking about with that.
I find it interesting how apps have changed over the last couple of years. Apps used to be much more widely used, and they were also a lot easier to install. However, over the last few years, FB has made it more complicated and difficult to find and install apps. My guess is it’s because many of them are created by third parties, and FB wants to encourage you to install FB-created apps (which are primarily games).
This new update both hides your apps and makes them more visible. In the past, your apps were in boxes just below the cover image. You had room for 4 above the fold, then you had to pull down an arrow to see the rest. Now, those boxes are gone. They are replaced with this. This feels like a step down.
However, if you scroll down the page, you’ll find a box with your apps in it in the left-hand sidebar, although I can only see 3 without clicking on the arrow. This opens up a new window which displays all my apps.
A couple of things that are harder to find with the new Facebook Pages Interface, including scheduled posts and notifications. Scheduled posts used to be under “Use Activity Log” in your dropdown menu under “edit page.” That feature is gone. If you have scheduled posts, you’ll see them at the top of your main column. This is actually a pretty good idea, especially if you have multiple people as admins who are posting to your page.
Notifications are also a bit harder to find, but again, once you figure it out, it works pretty well. On the far right side, beside your main column, you’ll find a floating bar that scrolls with you. This is only available to you as an admin. This bar lists your new page likes, your weekly reach, and below that, notifications and PMs. If you hover over “notifications,” you’ll get a popup that shows you the notifications. Otherwise, in your navigation menu (which is now across the top of the screen), click on “activity” and then “notifications.”
All in all, I really like the new Pages layout, and I think it’s a big improvement. What do you think of it?
Additional reading: Everything You Need to Know About Facebook’s New Page Design