Remington Begg
Would you blog on Facebook? We have reported on a few new changes Facebook is considering releasing world-wide soon, and recently we came across yet another one. Seemingly, Facebook is looking at where else people go online and key demographics they’re not doing so well in. Reviving the old Notes concept will give users a way to post long, blog-like information to others in a style that’s more catered to a long message.
If you remember the old Notes format, and many people don’t, it was basically a way to produce long messages way back in 2009 when Facebook had a character cap on statuses, like current Twitter has. But with today’s Facebook status cap at 60,000 characters, the new Notes has to be radically different to bring people back to using it. So far, a few of the noticeable changes include:
Broader Cover Image
Notes looks better today than it did before. Much better! A broad, full-width cover image, taking up more of the screen than previous versions, is then aided by a crisper, more readable font. If you’re familiar with the blogging platform Medium, you already have a good idea what this redesign looks like. This is because Notes and Medium appear to have been designed with input from the same design team,Teehan + Lax.
Proper Byline
A professional-looking byline and timestamp give it a sense of permanence and importance. Social media platforms like LinkedIn have already integrated this look, with success. Facebook is likely hoping to get people writing longer blog posts, which would keep people on the site longer.
Current Facebook Features Added
Back when the old Notes was being used, Facebook users didn’t have the option to tag each other, add hashtags, resize photos or do many more of the things we have come to use so often. To pull the new Notes into this decade, Facebook is making sure users can incorporate these features into their post. Also in the new format, you can adjust your settings to share your Note either with everyone, just friends, a hand-picked group of names, or for some reason just keep it to yourself.
Notes may just be a limited trial right now, but if or when it rolls out to the entire Facebook populace, it’ll help small businesses reach out and market to their local community like never before. A free blog that reaches people who already made the effort to learn more and stay up-to-date with your business could convert leads quicker and help turn repeat buyers into evangelists. We’ll keep you updated on all of Facebook’s new changes, as well as any other changes across the web that impacts your company.
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