Recently Facebook launched some new features that have already started taking effect across personal profiles. Like all changes, Facebookers will complain, start protest groups and eventually learn to love the features, or at least forget that things ever changed. With the changes recently announced in the Facebook Blog, I suspect there will be less bemoaning of the social behemoth and more audible praise from the masses. With easier access to privacy controls, and what's looking like Facebook's response to Circles on Google+ it stands to reason that Facebook is on the winning side with this round of changes.
On or around August 23rd, Facebook started implementing (Facebook Blog) what it's calling "Inline Profile Controls", AKA the ability to make your posts "Public", for "Friends" or for a "Customized" list of people of your choosing. They will also (in the future) be expanding this into the ability to choose specific groups of friends on a regular basis (their response to Circles on Google+).
Added in this expansive suite of improvements, Facebook has simplified it's privacy settings, while broadening Facebooker's control over what is shared about them and by them. Check out your privacy settings, and you will find you now have an option to approve every picture tag, place tag or comment that has your name attached to it. This is a huge step forward in privacy control, while still encouraging Facebookers to tag their friends.
Tagging friends has become a crucial element in the way Facebooker's share on Facebook and across social platforms, (obviously) with this in mind, Facebook has made it obvious how to tag friends in comments, as well as giving Facebookers the ability to share their location from any device. Inside of each comment box on Facebook, their will be an icon to add tags of friends, or add a location. Nothing could be easier or more welcome. Just because some people do not have smart phones, does not mean that don't want to tag their friends at locations on their laptops or personal computers. Tools like places are truly realized when the masses are able to use them on a consistent basis.
We at PBP look forward to changes like this and are excited to see how it improves the experience on Facebook.
-Jeremy Schaffer
