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Facebook has begun testing a new feature that lets active users group their email notifications into summary emails.
“We’re testing a feature for people who are very active on Facebook and receive lots of email notifications from us,” the company said in a post on its wall. “We’ll provide a new summary email and turn off most individual email notifications. If you want to turn them back on, there’s a control in your account settings.”
The feature, available to a small group of users in their account settings, is ideal for users that receive dozens of daily friend requests or are frequent participants in Facebook conversations. A daily summary is something more users will be able to handle.
What do you think of Facebook’s new email notification summary feature? Let us know in the comments.
More about : Facebook
Mashable received exclusive early access to the U.S. News list of top ranking national universities and national liberal arts colleges, released on Tuesday. The rankings take several factors into account, including tuition, acceptance rate, retention rate, class size, SAT scores and graduation rate.
We decided to add another factor for review: social media connectedness. Below you’ll find both top 10 lists of universities and liberal arts colleges alongside an analysis of their social media presences.
Mashable took a look at Twitter feeds encompassing university life, official Facebook pages and YouTube channels, not to mention the follower count for each official university/college account. Take a flip through the galleries to discover how higher education institutions stack up to the growing trends in social media. Also, you can check out U.S. News’ newly launched social tool that allows participants to discover where their Facebook friends went to college.
Feel free to share in the comments below how your college stacks up socially.
Top National Universities
1. (tied) Harvard University
U.S. News university ranking: 1 (tied)
Main Twitter account: @Harvard
Twitter followers: 66,737
Other Twitter accounts: @thecrimson,@HarvardMagazine, @Harvard_Library, @THCSports, @HUDSInfo, @ABCDSocialMedia
Main Facebook page: Harvard
Facebook fans: 698,933
YouTube channel: harvard
YouTube videos/subscribers: 390/ 27,786
1. (tied) Princeton University
U.S. News university ranking: 1 (tied)
Main Twitter account: @Princeton
Twitter followers: 15,572
Other Twitter accounts: @punews, @pace_princeton, @PUArtMuseum, @princetonian, @PUTIGERS, @PrincetonDining, @princetoncareer, @PrincetonPL
Main Facebook page: PrincetonU
Facebook fans: 52,125
YouTube channel: princetonuniversity
YouTube videos/subscribers: 164/ 2,979
3. Yale University
U.S. News university ranking: 3
Main Twitter account: @Yale
Twitter followers: 22,774
Other Twitter accounts: @yaledailynews, @YaleAthletics, @yalelibrary, @Yale_Emergency, @Yale_Athletics
Main Facebook page: YaleUniversity
Facebook fans: 36,825
YouTube channel: YaleUniversity
YouTube videos/subscribers: 650/ 19,986
4. Columbia University
U.S. News university ranking: 4
Main Twitter account: n/a
Other Twitter accounts: @CU_Spectator, @ColumbiaGS, @columbiajourn, @ColumbiaScience, @ColumbiaCCE, @GoColumbiaLions, @ColumbiaCSA
Main Facebook page: ColumbiaNYC
Facebook fans: 12,840
YouTube channel: columbiauniversity
YouTube videos/subscribers: 619/ 4,121
5. (tied) California Polytechnic Institute
U.S. News university ranking: 5 (tied)
Main Twitter account: @Caltech
Twitter followers: 2,570
Other Twitter accounts: @caltechevents, @CaltechMITForum, @CaltechAMT, @CaltechGreen
Main Facebook page: California Institute of Technology
Facebook fans: 7,713
YouTube channel: caltech
YouTube videos/subscribers: 38/ 302
5. (tied) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
U.S. News university ranking: 5 (tied)
Main Twitter account: MITstudents
Twitter followers: 781
Other Twitter accounts: @mitlibraries, @MITNews, @MITscience, @MITMuseum, @MIT_Spectrum, @MIT_TechTV, @MITCampusDining, @MITEECS, @MITgetfit, @MITmedical
Main Facebook page: MITnews
Facebook fans: 55,827
YouTube channel: none. But hosts its own video site called MIT TechTV.
5. (tied) Stanford University
U.S. News university ranking: 5 (tied)
Main Twitter account: @Stanford
Twitter followers: 45,590
Other Twitter accounts: @StanfordDaily, @stanford_humsci, @suathletics, @stanfordrec, @stanfordbuzztap, @StanfordDining, @StanfordCareers
Main Facebook page: Stanford
Facebook fans: 226,322
YouTube channel: StanfordUniversity
YouTube videos/subscribers: 1,383/ 89,041
5. (tied) University of Chicago
U.S. News university ranking: 5 (tied)
Main Twitter account: @UChicago
Twitter followers: 2,600
Other Twitter accounts: @uchicagonews, @UChicagoMag, @ChicagoMaroons, @UCPD, @uofcpsac
Main Facebook page: UChicago
Facebook fans: 47,555
YouTube channel: TheUofChicago
YouTube videos/subscribers: 70/ 511
5. (tied) University of Pennsylvania
U.S. News university ranking: 5 (tied)
Main Twitter account: UofPenn
Twitter followers: 9,013
Other Twitter accounts: @underthebutton, @dailypenn, @PennCurrent, @pennbookstore, @pennathletics, @PennWebTeam
Main Facebook page: UnivPennsylvania
Facebook fans: 24,057
YouTube channel: UnivPennsylvania
YouTube videos/subscribers: 233/ 1,999
10. Duke University
U.S. News university ranking: 10
Main Twitter account: @DukeNews
Twitter followers: 4,333
Other Twitter accounts: @Duke_SA, @dukestudents, @DukeOSAF, @DukeLibrarian, @dukeondemand, @DukeCampusFarm, @dukechronicle, @DUMBand, @DukeWellness, @Duke_Athletics, @DukePerformances
Main Facebook page: DukeUniv
Facebook fans: 88,191
YouTube channel: Duke
YouTube videos/subscribers: 219/1,386
Top National Liberal Arts Colleges
1. Williams College
U.S. News college ranking: 1
Main Twitter account: @williamscollege
Twitter followers: 2,675
Other Twitter accounts: @EphSports
Main Facebook page: williamscollege
Facebook fans: 6,523
YouTube channel: williamscollege
YouTube videos/subscribers: 193/ 267
2. Amherst College
U.S. News college ranking: 2
Main Twitter account: @AmherstCollege
Twitter followers: 2,104
Other Twitter accounts: @wamhamherst, @AmherstBaseball, @theateranddance, @CollegianStaff, @AmherstSports
Main Facebook page: amherstcollege
Facebook fans: 4,800
YouTube channel: AmherstCollege
YouTube videos/subscribers: 132/ 242
3. Swarthmore College
U.S. News college ranking: 3
Main Twitter account: @swarthmore
Twitter followers: 1,069
Other Twitter accounts: @swatgazette, @swarthmorestuco, @SwatAthletics
Main Facebook page: Swarthmore-College
Facebook fans: 3,030
YouTube channel: SwarthmoreCollegePA
YouTube videos/subscribers: 153/ 103
4. Pomona College
U.S. News college ranking: 4
Main Twitter account: @pomonacollege
Twitter followers: 1,564
Other Twitter accounts: @PomonaArtMuseum, @PomonaCDO
Main Facebook page: pomonacollege
Facebook fans: 4,136
YouTube channel: PomonaCollege
YouTube videos/subscribers: 71/ 55
5. Middlebury College
U.S. News college ranking: 5
Main Twitter account: @Middlebury
Twitter followers: 2,789
Other Twitter accounts: @middblog, @middcampus, @MiddAthletics, @middartmuseum
Main Facebook page: middleburycollege
Facebook fans: 7,859
YouTube channel: middcommunications
YouTube videos/subscribers: 78/ 782
6. (tied) Bowdoin College
U.S. News college ranking: 6 (tied)
Main Twitter account: @bowdoincollege
Twitter followers: 1,092
Other Twitter accounts: @bowdoinnews, @bowdoinorient, @GoUBears, @BowdoinMuseum, @BowdoinCstore
Main Facebook page: Bowdoin
Facebook fans: 7,558
YouTube channel: Bowdoin1794
YouTube videos/subscribers: 57/ 52
6. (tied) Carleton College
U.S. News college ranking: 6 (tied)
Main Twitter account: @CarletonCollege
Twitter followers: 1,581
Other Twitter accounts: @CarletonNews, @CarletonKnights, @TheWellnessCntr, @BamcoCarleton, @CC_theCave
Main Facebook page: CarletonCollege
Facebook fans: 5,846
YouTube channel: carletoncollege
YouTube videos/subscribers: 19/ 37
6. (tied) Wellesley College
U.S. News college ranking: 6 (tied)
Main Twitter account: @WellesleyNews
Twitter followers: 1,900
Other Twitter accounts: @Wellesleymag, @WellesleyBlue, @MyCWS
Main Facebook page: WellesleyCollege
Facebook fans: 7,528
YouTube channel: WellesleyCollegeTV
YouTube videos/subscribers: 25/ 56
9. Claremont McKenna College
U.S. News college ranking: 9
Main Twitter account: n/a
Other Twitter accounts: @cmcforum, @CMCnews
Main Facebook page: ClaremontMcKennaCollege
Facebook fans: 1,928
YouTube channel: claremontmckenna
YouTube videos/subscribers: 22/ 55
10. Haverford College
U.S. News college ranking: 10
Main Twitter account: @haverfordedu
Twitter followers: 641
Other Twitter accounts: @AskHaverford, @FordsSports, @haverfordhhc, @hcblacksquirrel
Main Facebook page: haverfordcollege
Facebook fans: 578
YouTube channel: haverfordcollege
YouTube videos/subscribers: 44/25
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, atreides64
More about : education, Social Media
The Fall TV season officially kicks off this week — and CBS.com is celebrating with two weeks of social media events for fans.
Starting Monday night, CBS.com will be running an online introduction to CBS’s fall schedule, called the Fall Premiere Show. After watching a set of 15-minute online previews, fans of CBS series — such as Hawaii Five-0, NCIS and CSI — can join live online chats with the shows producers. Each night this week, fans can login using Facebook or Twitter, ask the producers questions and discuss the show in real-time.
The chats, with the exception of CSI, are scheduled to coincide with the East Coast re-runs of each show’s season finale from last spring. Here’s the schedule and official Twitter hashtag for each show:
- September 12 – Hawaii Five-0 at 10pm ET (#H50)
- September 13 – NCIS at 8pm ET (#NCIS)
- September 14 – CSI at 7pm ET (#CSI)
- September 15 – The Mentalist at 10pm ET (#TheMentalist)
- September 16 – CSI:NY at 9pm ET (#CSINY)
Tweet Week Returns
Live chats are just the start. From September 19 through September 26, CBS is bringing back its online Tweet Week promotion. Each night, CBS fans can follow along on Twitter or at CBS’s Tweet Week page to interact with actors and producers during the season premiere of some of CBS’s existing shows.
Fans can follow the hashtag #CBSTweetWeek, or follow the Twitter accounts of each show’s actors or producers.
These are the shows that will be live-tweeting their premiere’s during Tweet Week:
- September 19 – Hawaii Five-0
- September 20 – NCIS: Los Angeles
- September 21 – Survivor and Criminal Minds
- September 22 – The Big Bang Theory
- September 23 – A Gifted Man
- September 26 – The Good Wife
As Bravo’s Lisa Hsia noted at Mashable Connect, getting talent actively involved with a social media strategy is essential to building greater community engagement. And of course, CBS isn’t the only network that is embracing social media this year. Fox, ABC and NBC are also actively courting their audiences using social channels. We look forward to looking at the ratings to see what impact social media has (or doesn’t have) — and what shows hit it big and what shows fizzle out.
Does social media enhance the network TV experience? Let us know what you think in the comments.
More about : cbs, facebook, social tv, tweet week, twitter
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The Facebook Marketing Series is supported by Buddy Media. Now that Facebook will no longer allow your brand to hide comments from your followers, knowing the right strategies for moderating is paramount. Download our guide to Facebook publishing and moderation now.
From professional event producers to volunteer committee members, event planners see Facebook as must-have tool in their belts. How can Facebook give a boost to your next event?
We spoke with a few experts on using the world’s largest social network for event planning. Read on for their pro tips and let us know how you use Facebook for your events in the comments below.
1. Get Inspired
Looking for some creative inspiration? Facebook to the rescue. Adrianne Mellen Ramstack, owner and principle planner at Adrianne Elizabeth LLC, uses Facebook to discover new, innovative ideas.
“I use Facebook a lot for inspiration,” she says, “I ‘Like’ The Knot, Real Simple, Rose Bredl Flowers, La Jeune Mariee and Big Rock Little Rooster (to name a few) to stay up on inspiration and new trends in wedding and event planning.”
2. Stay Connected
During the event planning process, organizers often need to share updates with the planning committee. A “closed” or “secret” Facebook Group can be more collaborative and interactive than countless emails going back and forth. As the event organizer, use this space to share event updates, solicit input or delegate tasks to volunteers. Selling tickets? Ask group members to share what approach they’ve found most successful. Looking for sponsors? Throw it out to the group to see if someone can facilitate an introduction.
Groups can also help attendees connect with each other in advance. For example, NASA hosts #NASATweetUps to offer a behind-the-scenes experience to @NASA followers. A closed Facebook group connects attendees leading up to the events. According to the group description for the STS-135 tweetup, members “discuss travel plans, organize group housing, and generally GEEK OUT about the amazing opportunity they have been given.”
Remco Timmermans, who attended the STS-135 tweetup found the Facebook group to be a helpful resource. He appreciated the direct interaction with participants and the helpful resources housed within the group, such as lists of hotels. The private group provided a forum for attendees to reminisce and relive the excitement by sharing post-event photos and videos.
3. Scope Out Vendors
Vendor selection is critical to the success of any event, so as you’re researching caterers, photographers or entertainment, take a peak at their Facebook pages to read feedback from previous customers. If you notice negative feedback from unsatisfied customers, think twice before hiring that company for your event.
4. Increase Attendance
According to recent Eventbrite data, 10% of those purchasing tickets through Eventbrite share the event on Facebook. Including social sharing options at the point of purchase is helpful, however, event planners may find more value by following Eventbrite’s step-by-step guide to creating a Facebook event that syncs up with Eventbrite’s ticket-selling platform. Friends and contacts can view event details on Facebook and then register by clicking on the event link, which takes them back to the original Eventbrite page.
In addition, developing exclusive offers for Facebook communities can spark new sales. According to Ramstack, the Central Ohio Capital Area Humane Society has generated additional ticket sales for its upcoming fundrasier by offering a Facebook-only discount. Tickets, normally $80, are available to Facebook “likers” for $60.
5. Recognize Sponsors
Kelly O’Donoghue, an event planner in Tampa, FL, suggested offering Facebook recognition as an additional perk for sponsors. A few ideas:
- Create an album to feature sponsor logos
- Tag status updates to show appreciation to sponsors and help them expand their Facebook community
- Invite sponsors to write a “guest note” on the organization’s Facebook page
- Post a video interview about why sponsors support the event
- Share sponsors’ relevant updates/news on the organization’s Facebook page
6. Share Real-Time Updates
During the event, don’t forget to continue to offer as-it-happens updates through a brand or organization’s Facebook page. Bringing the event to Facebook can help create additional interest in the event (and future ones). Posting photos, sharing video clips and livestreaming are a few opportunities to spark interaction with your Facebook community.
7. Post-Event Follow-Up
After the event, use Facebook to increase online engagement. Provide an event recap with photos and video. Thank people for participating, collect feedback by posting “Questions” or a survey link, and invite them to stay connected by subscribing to the company’s blog or e-newsletter.
Now, let’s hear from you. What other ways can Facebook help event planners?
Series Supported by Buddy Media
The Facebook Marketing Series is supported by Buddy Media. Now that Facebook will no longer allow your brand to hide comments from your followers, knowing the right strategies for moderating is paramount. Download our guide to Facebook publishing and moderation now.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Antonprado
More about : event planning, Events, facebook, Facebook Marketing Series
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People interact with their favorite brands on Facebook far more than on any other social network, according to a recent study of online consumer behavior.
The study, conducted by Constant Contact and research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey, analyzed the behavior of 1,491 consumers ages 18 and older throughout the United States and revealed a number of details about how people interact with brands on the world’s largest social network.
When it comes to “Liking” brands on Facebook, the reasons are varied, but for the most part, respondents said they “Like” a brand on Facebook because they are a customer (58%) or because they want to receive discounts and promotions (57%).
Being a fan, for the most part, is a rather passive activity. A whopping 77% of consumers said they interact with brands on Facebook primarily through reading posts and updates from the brands.
A measly 17% of respondents said they interact with brands by sharing experiences and news stories with others about the brand, and only 13% of respondents said they post updates about brands that they Like.
The study also pointed to a number of encouraging stats for businesses, including:
- 56% of consumers said they are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after becoming a fan on Facebook
- 51% of consumers said they are more likely to buy a product since becoming a fan on Facebook
- 78% of consumers who “Like” brands on Facebook said they “Like” fewer than ten brands
Contrary to another study published in February that stated that 81% of consumers have either “unliked” or removed a company’s posts from their Facebook News Feed, this study reports that 76% of consumers said they have never “unliked” a brand on Facebook.
For brands looking to make the biggest impact on Facebook, it is essential to share compelling content, minimize marketing messages and refrain from overwhelming readers with too frequent updates.
View the complete study here:
More about : facebook, MARKETING
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This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.
Years ago, if a marketer wanted to run a contest, he’d have to run print ads and hope that people would take the time to fill out an entry form and then mail it in. The Internet made things easier, but you still assumed that consumers would somehow find their way to your website.
Facebook adds another layer of ease to the process: Consumers are already there doing something else. If the promotion looks interesting enough, filling out an online form isn’t that big a deal. Rodney Mason, the chief marketing officer of promotions agency Moosylvania, says Facebook-only promotions have a lot of advantages. “One would be the ease of use,” he says. “You can also connect with people who’ve already opted in for past promotions, and everybody’s on there all the time.”
But Facebook didn’t just add ease of use to contests, it totally changed the motivation behind entering them. Nowadays, the prize seems secondary. The main appeal of Facebook contests is to communicate something about yourself.
These four highlighted contest campaigns illustrate this. In each case, users get more out the program than a gift certificate or whatever the nominal prize is: They also get a forum to define themselves to like-minded people. Maybe the best prize you can offer these days is bragging rights.
1. Contiki Vacations’ “Get on the Bus” Promotion
Travel companies have a natural advantage when it comes to promotions because, after all, planning a vacation is often half the fun. Planning a free vacation is even more fun. Contiki, a travel firm that caters to the 18-35 year-old demo, dropped a promotion in mid-February that let winter-weary web surfers imagine their perfect vacation. The winner got one of eight vacations worth around $25,000. The promotion harkened back to Contiki’s roots — in 1961, a young New Zealander named John Anderson arrived in London for a European journey. Lacking money and friends, he came up with a clever plan: He put a deposit on a minibus and found a group of people to travel with him. After the trip was over, Anderson tried to sell the minibus, but no one wanted to buy it, so he advertised the European trip again and Contiki Holidays was born.
Accordingly, the “Get on the Bus” promo challenged fans to get a crew with four friends together, choose a trip and then try to get as many votes as possible in order to win. Yes, that’s right, votes not Likes. Bob Troia, CEO of Affinitive, the agency that created the promo, says just as the program was launching, Facebook changed its policy about the use of Likes, which prompted the use of votes instead. Nevertheless, the effort, which ran from February 23 through March 31, garnered 8,000 Likes for Contiki and generated more than 10 million ad impressions through Facebook shares, Likes, tweets and blog coverage. One reason for the success was a feature that let users and their friends create a bus, which incorporated music, movies, Likes and interests that users had in common via their Facebook profiles. Says Troia: “We wanted to go beyond ‘enter and win’ and create an experience.”
2. Maybelline’s “Show Us Your Red Lips”
More proof that consumers are looking for experiences as well as prizes: Maybelline New York ran a promo for its Super Stay24h lipstick in Switzerland that offered the chance to be the face of the product on the Facebook Page in Switzerland. Despite that modest payoff, the promotion got 183 responses in three weeks. Part of the reason was that the contest was pretty easy to enter: All you had to do was take a picture of your lips. A lot more people — 9,000 — voted in the contest than entered it, leading to a dramatic jump in the product’s Facebook fans. Before the contest, the Page had 3,000 fans, but when it was over, there were 13,000. Perhaps you don’t need a huge prize to lure contestants, just the chance to strut one’s stuff before some peers.
3. Coca-Cola’s “The Recycling King”
For whatever reason, Israel seems to be on the cutting edge of location-based Facebook promotions. First there was the Coca-Cola Amusement Park promo in Israel last summer that let kids “like” park attractions by checking in using RFID-enabled bracelets, and now there’s the Recycling King program. Give Coke and agency Publicis E-Dologic an A for effort: The two tracked down every recycling bin in the country (there are 10,000 or so) and registered them on Facebook Places. Users them competed to see who was the “Recycling King,” by checking in to the most bins. The program proved to be popular. Users uploaded more than 26,000 pictures of themselves recycling, and there were more than 250,000 checkins.
4. Blocket.se’s “The Funniest Classified Ad on Blocket”
Let’s face it, Swedes aren’t known for their sense of humor. To Americans at least, the country summons images of black-and-white Ingmar Bergman films and disposable furniture. But apparently, the Swedish populace likes a joke as much as, say, the Finns. Realizing this, Blocket.se, the Craigslist of Sweden, ran a contest for “The funniest classified ad on Blocket.” The contest sought real ads, which users could submit by uploading an image. Blocket’s jury chose 20 finalists, and then Facebook users could vote for their favorite among the list and follow the results.
Thanks to the rib-tickling stunt, the site received 31,000 new fans in 18 days, and 34,000 people installed the Blocket app. The winner? An ad for a Volvo that had been driven into a ditch. The seller wanted the buyer to retrieve it from the ditch. Oh, those Swedes!
More about : coca cola, Contests, facebook, MARKETING, trending
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Does posting to Facebook via third-party apps such as Hootsuite or TweetDeck make any difference to how engaged your fans are? Does Facebook’s algorithm discriminate against these kinds of content management apps?
The people at Applum, creators of Edgerank Checker, decided to find out. They analyzed more than a million Facebook updates on more than 50,000 Pages in order to test the theory that posting to Facebook via third-party apps simply doesn’t generate as much engagement as posting directly on Facebook.
The results were surprising. Applum found that Hootsuite posts received 70% less engagement per post than posting directly via Facebook. The engagement level is worse for TweetDeck, and posting to Facebook via Twitter garnered half the engagement of a Hootsuite post.
Applum’s speculative reason: Facebook penalizes third-party apps in its complex algorithm. Indeed, Facebook updates from third-party apps are sometimes condensed into a single News Feed story. This effectively eliminates opportunities for the kind of impressions and engagement you would get on separate posts.
Facebook users can decide to block all updates from any third-party app, which could also be a factor.
However, Applum notes, it may also be the type of content that is being posted through these apps — and its timing that is causing the problem. Many posts in Hootsuite and other third-party apps are scheduled or automated, which can lead to weaker engagement. Content from third-party apps is often not optimized for Facebook. For example, Twitter posts don’t usually include links with descriptions and thumbnails.
So is Facebook deliberately downgrading Hootsuite, TweetDeck and other third-party apps? We think it’s definitely possible, but there’s no way to know for sure from the data Applum has collected.
Update: “We’re focused on ensuring that users see the highest quality stories in News Feed,” a Facebook spokesperson told us. “As part of this, related stories are typically aggregated so users can see a consolidated view of stories from one app. In some cases, we work closely with trusted partners, such as Preferred Developer Consultants, to test new ways of surfacing stories, and gather feedback to improve the Platform experience.”
More about : facebook, facebook apps, hootsuite, tweetdeck
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Facebook has begun testing a slew of changes to News Feed, including friend list filters and smart lists that automatically categorizes your friends.
The changes seem to be aimed at making the content within News Feed more relevant. These changes, as far as we can ascertain from screenshots sent to us, show that Facebook is dividing News Feed into lists, much like Google+ has done with Circles. “Feed filters make it easy to see a selected set of friend’s updates in one place and share exclusive with them,” Facebook’s guide to the new feature states.
A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on this story.
One of the most interesting aspects of the revamped News Feed is the addition of Smart Lists. Smart Lists automatically sort your friends into a work list, a list for classmates and a list for friends who live within 50 miles of your current city. This makes it easy to post updates just to your college friends or to talk about a local party with just your nearby friends.
The changes are likely to be construed as a response to the rise of Google+, whose Circles feature makes it easy to share content with smaller groups. Facebook has always had Friend Lists as a feature, but less than 5% of users utilize them in any meaningful way. These changes are designed to fix that.
Check out the screenshots below, and let us know what you think of revamped Facebook News Feed in the comments.
Facebook List Feed Filters
Facebook's List Feed Filters let you filter your news feed by specific groups of friends, much like Google+ Circles.
Friend List Explanation
Facebook explains Friend Lists.
Facebook Smart Lists
Facebook automatically organizes your work friends, school friends and nearby friends into lists.
Facebook Sharing
Facebook explains how users can share posts with just close friends or other friend lists.
News Feed Organization
Facebook explains how to organize your News Feed.
Hat tip to Nick Starr.
More about : facebook, Facebook news feed
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Facebook has announced that former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles has been added to its board of directors.
Bowles served as President Bill Clinton’s head of the Small Business Administration in 1993 before becoming deputy White House chief of staff in 1994 and chief of staff in 1996. Before that, Bowles founded his own investment bank and co-founded venture capital firm Kitty Hawk Capital and private equity firm Carousel Capital.
Bowles is also the president emeritus of the University of North Carolina system and is currently co-chair of President Barack Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
“Erskine has held important roles in government, academia and business which have given him insight into how to build organizations and navigate complex issues,” Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. “Along with his experience founding companies, this will be very valuable as we continue building new things to help make the world more open and connected.”
Bowles will join an all-star board of directors that includes Peter Tiel (PayPal, Founders Fund, Clarium Capital), Reed Hastings (Netflix), Donald Graham (Washington Post), Jim Breyer (Accel Partners), Marc Andreessen (Andreessen Horowitz, Netscape) and Zuckerberg. Hastings joined the board in June to guide the company as it prepares for its highly-anticipated IPO.
More about : erskine bowles, facebook
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Facebook will launch a music service later this month, we reported last week. Facebook is partnering with top music services Spotify, MOG and Rdio to let users stream music on Facebook.com.
For the uninitiated: Spotify is a service that lets you listen to virtually any song for free on your desktop, with an occasional (but infrequent) ad. Users can pay a small fee to remove the ads or use the service on their phones.
That’s right — Facebook may be about to unleash unlimited free music to all its users.
Providing free music to more than 750 million people (assuming Facebook Music launches globally) seems like a no-brainer: Why wouldn’t everyone in the world want to listen to and share free music with friends? This is the web equivalent of giving away free ice cream.
How could Facebook Music fail?
That’s the topic of my CNN column this week.
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