The social media platform has simplified the Pages interface and added new tools to encourage interaction with followers. Perhaps the biggest change of the update, the traditional “Likes” will be removed.
Yes we are here again… Facebook has made more monumental changes to enhance our customer experience in the long term, and confuse us in the short term. From a new page makeover, admin features and the removal of the infamous ‘like’, we know they mean business. Find out what exactly has changed below.
Facebook Page Redesign
Something looking different on Facebook for you admin users? The redesign is intended to be more intuitive, with a streamlined new look that makes viewing bios, posts, and important info easier. Many Page managers have already noticed the introduction of a separate News Feed for their Pages, which allows them to subscribe to the updates of other Pages in a personalised stream. Facebook has also made it easier to switch between an admin’s personal profile and a Page they manage, a feature that, according to online publication Tech Crunch, users said they “liked” for its simplicity and “ease” of use, as well as the “better ways to engage fans”.
New Admin Features
Behind the scenes feature, just got even more interesting. You can update access controls easier on the phone for your team for tasks such as accessing insights, creating ads, posting content, or managing community activity, for example.
Facebook Says Goodbye To “Likes”
A bold move, but one we fully agree with, is Facebook’s decision to remove the option to ‘like’ pages. This means people can only “Follow” pages, instead of trying to work out between the two. Hooray for simplicity!
The reason behind this seemingly monumental step is that many Facebook users who have previously “liked” a Page later unsubscribed from its updates. Similarly, some users may have hit the “like” button as a favour to a friend or family member but opted out of receiving regular news. This means that the reach of a business, brand or public figure can no longer be measured reliably by looking at the number of “likes” it has amassed.
Instead, the social media platform will prioritise the number of “Followers” a Page has – which is often at times higher. Facebook writes in its official announcement, “Unlike “Likes”, the “Followers” of a Page represent the people who can receive updates from Pages, which helps give public figures a stronger indication of their fan base.”
New Q&A Feature Encourages Follower Engagement
To keep “Followers” entertained, Facebook is introducing a new Q&A tool through which public figures and brands can interact with their community. This gives fans the opportunity to ask questions around a topic set by the page admin, with answered questions turning into a stack that participants can swipe through. If the admin doesn’t end the Facebook Q&A before, it will automatically end after 24 hours.
Facebook Cracks Down On Fake Accounts And Hate Speech
Importantly, new safety and integrity measures are also part of the update to help “detect spammy content and impersonator accounts”, as Asad Awan, Head of Public Connections and Monetisation at Facebook, writes in the announcement. He writes, “We want Facebook to be a safe place to connect with fans, so we’ve improved our ability to detect activity that isn’t allowed on our platform including hate speech, violent, sexual or spammy content and impersonation. We are continuing to expand the visibility of a verified badge to make it easier to identify posts and comments from authentic Pages and profiles.”
You can see all of the new Facebook Pages updates in more detail here. And don’t forget to follow The Everyday Agency for all the latest news about social media trends and innovations.
