Facebook is, once again, making changes to the algorithm that controls what appears in newsfeeds. If you had ever been under the impression that you were going to see a chronological list of status updates from your friends in your newsfeed, numerous changes over the years will have put paid to that notion.
It has been a source of many a social networking grumble, and now Facebook is taking steps to address the issue. Depending on how you use Facebook, you may be connected to not only real-world friends, but also companies, celebrities and even TV shows. Your newsfeed has likely turned into less of a collection of bon mots from your mates and more of a stream of updates from entities you're only vaguely interested in. Now your friends will be given greater priority.
The latest change is Facebook's recognition of the fact that it needs to alter the balance of what appears in newsfeed. There are three key changes in total, starting off with a relaxation of the rule that prevented the appearance of 'too many' posts from the same source. Now, if you are a little light on content, as you continue to scroll through your newsfeed you will start to see multiple posts from the same friends.
Facebook is also adjusting the priority with which posts from your favorite contacts are handled. From now on, "content posted directly by the friends you care about" (although Facebook gives no indication of how this is determined) will appear higher up in your feed. The third and final change demotes notifications about likes and comments your friends have made -- these will still appear in your newsfeed, but lower down.
How do you feel about this latest raft of changes? Is Facebook heading in the right direction or moving further away from what it should be doing?
Photo credit: JuliusKielaitis / Shutterstock