Open The Dialogue

This week at Facebook’s f8 conference, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the future of Facebook and how it interacts with the web. These new products combined with tweaks Facebook made before the conference kicked off will be critical not only in how we work with Facebook, they may change the way that we view the entire Internet.

Initial f8 Announcements

Facebook began their week of announcements long before Zuckerberg took the stage.  During the week they announced:

• Facebook Switches Fans with Likes.
  • While everyone knew this change was coming to your fan pages, the switch prompted some to question why it was a necessary change. Additionally the change clearly shows you which friends like the page, a feature that was not found in the original design.
• Community Pages allow Facebookers to share knowledge on topics.
  • Connecting to everything you care about is aimed at linking your interests and profile to more people on Facebook. Now instead of just enjoying cooking, you can link that interest to a community page.
• Facebook Shutters Facebook Lite
  • Facebook Lite was meant to be a smarter, faster way for power users to engage with Facebook.  In the end, Facebook used the Lite design to make the Stream more efficient.

Minor Announcements

Before getting into the meat and potatoes of Facebook’s next big thing, Zuckerberg shared some small changes that could have an immediate effect on how we interact with Facebook on a daily basis.

• One Step Permissions: instead of multiple permission screens, Facebook is changing its privacy logins to the simple click of one button.
• Expanding the Cache: Originally developers could only store information for 24 hours, causing people to have to log in everyday.  That protocol has been removed and now developers can store information until you sign back out.
• Universal Credits: Currently buying things through Facebook apps requires a credit card entry for each app. Facebook is working toward a Facebook currency that will allow users to store information in only one place.

Of course these aren’t the only changes that Facebook is currently engaged in building.  Instead these are changes that are already being rolled out to the system. Compared to the future changes of Facebook, these might as well be considered minor tweaks.

What Small Businesses Should Do Today Online

Chris Brogan outlines some of the basic things small businesses should do online.  While they are quite obvious to us in the space, it is still important to understand that small businesses may be averse to using the medium based on fears and misunderstandings.  Brogan’s recommendations are simple and he also provides justification for why small businesses should use/implement them.  Hit the link to find out what they are.

Brands and Facebook Lite

Facebook’s new Lite version does away with apps and pages and many other features that are so essential to brands.  This may spell doom for brands but David Berkowitz provides two reasons why it shouldn’t.

1. Over 90% of home internet users connect over broadband.  Because of this, they can afford the feature-rich regular Facebook site.
2. Users who try the Lite version will miss key Facebook features such as instant messaging and apps.

The Effects of Twitter’s New TOS

The new Twitter TOS is already having an effect on the experience resulting in fewer bots, squatters and imposters.  These are just a few of the ten profile types that will go missing.  Some of these are important to keep in mind in how client profiles can interact with the public on the system without being booted.

Is Social Media a Fad or Revolution?

(by way of Econsultancy)