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Facebook’s redesigned site is here – and soon there’s no going back
Change can be tough. As humans, we grow accustomed to seeing the same things over and over in our daily lives, and anything that switches up our routines can feel intrusive or frustrating.
Think about the last time you had to learn a new software program or figure out how to navigate through a new computer. Chances are, it took a while to get used to before things felt seamless and routine, right? Ever wanted to write computer code? Tap or click here for free coding lessons from Microsoft.
Well, prepare yourself for more frustration — especially if you’re a regular Facebook user. The social media giant is rolling out its updated platform in September, and changes that come with it may take some time to get used to. Let’s take a look at what the new Facebook will look like and what you’ll be losing with the new design.
What’s new with Facebook’s redesign
You may have noticed that Facebook has been deploying optional changes to the design and look of the platform for the last few months, including a new interface that looks quite a bit different from your old landing page. Well, as of next month, that updated interface will be a permanent change to the platform, along with a slew of other changes, too.
Related: Tap or click here to see how to stop Facebook from stalking you across the web
The new Facebook changes rolling out next month include:
Streamlined content creation
A new addition to the redesign is a content creation icon, which is marked as a “+” in the upper-right corner of the platform. When you click the icon, you get a list of shortcuts you can use to create content — including events, groups, pages, or even ads. You can use this feature to preview a group you’re starting and see what the group looks like on mobile before it’s created.
With the old Facebook design, users had to navigate to the main page they wanted to post on and then create the content on the pages. This update, however, streamlines the process of creating and publishing items for sale on Marketplace or other similar tasks by putting the shortcuts in one centralized location.
Shortcuts
One of the new features with the redesign is an upgraded “Your Shortcuts” section — located at the bottom left on the sidebar. This section automatically generates links for you based on what groups, pages, and games you visit on Facebook.
To customize the shortcut links on this menu, you simply hover your cursor over the “Your Shortcuts” menu and click “Edit.” This lets you pin the shortcuts you prefer to the top of your list.
Top nav icons
Redesign was a major focus of the new Facebook update, and you’ll see changes throughout the platform — and that includes changes to the top navigation bar. The new design adds a top navigation bar with five key icons to the platform: News Feed, Watch, Facebook Marketplace, Facebook groups, and Facebook Gaming.
You can use these icons to quickly navigate to different sections of Facebook, jumping from buying and selling on Marketplace to watching videos with ease.
Dark Mode
If your eyes get fatigued from being on the computer or other devices for long stints, you’ll be relieved to hear that Facebook is rolling out “Dark Mode,” which minimizes screen glare and is perfect for use in low light.
You can toggle between the original mode and Dark Mode quickly and easily with a drop-down arrow in the right corner of Facebook’s page, making it simple to switch between the two options when you need to.
As an added bonus, this setting also creates the optimal mode for watching videos, according to Facebook. “The new immersive layout along with Dark Mode makes viewing videos on Watch a great experience,” Facebook wrote in a blog post.
Changes to news feed preferences
You’ll find changes to news feed preferences too, once the new update rolls around. These updates allow you to prioritize certain groups or people in your news feed, unfollow accounts that you aren’t ready to un-friend, or start following people you’ve unfollowed in the past.
You can also change up your snooze preferences. If you want to remove the snooze penalty you placed on someone else, you can — or you can add more time to the snooze if you’re not convinced that the 30-day automatic snooze feature was enough time.
New Privacy shortcuts
The update will add new options for your privacy shortcuts, too. You can limit data that’s shared in “Ad Preferences,” and you can also change privacy settings for information shared by apps, companies, and services that you use outside of the platform. Tons of apps and services share data with Facebook, and you’ll be able to limit that quickly and easily with the new rollout.
Related: Tap or click here to see how some app developers are harvesting user data from Facebook
What features are going away?
Given that redesign was a large focus of this update, you likely won’t be surprised to hear that the old blue and white Facebook design — known as Classic Facebook — is being done away with for good.
Most people started gaining access to the new Facebook interface back in March, and some have had the option to opt-out of the new look for the last few months.
This update will remove the option to toggle between Classic Facebook and the new design once the changes are fully deployed in September. The new interface is white and gray with subtle blue accents, a major departure from Facebook’s blue “Classic” design.
Crowded menus and navigation bars will be replaced, too — but this update is primarily going to remove the option to switch between the old and new Facebook designs. Most of the other changes that are being deployed are additions, not removals.
Tips for switching back and forth
If you want to get as much use of that old design as possible, you can still toggle between the two interfaces for now. Starting in September, though, everyone will have the new design.
To switch between the classic and updated Facebook interfaces:
- Click the drop-down arrow in the top right of Facebook.
- Select Switch to Classic Facebook.
If you have issues with switching back and forth from the old to new design, here’s what you should do:
- Click the drop-down arrow in the top right of Facebook.
- Click Help & Support > Report a Problem.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
Remember, though, this option will only be available until the new changes roll out. Once that happens, everyone will be permanently switched to the new interface, whether you like it or not.
Tags: content creation, Dark Mode, Facebook, Interface, platform, preferences, privacy, shortcuts, user data
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