Facebook revealed a makeover of its main mobile app on Tuesday to make it easier for users to find and join groups for events on the world’s largest social network. The company says it is displaying group front and center on the main tab. Events and groups are taking center stage as Facebook moves away from the News Feed.
‘There are tens of millions of active groups on Facebook. When people find the right one, it often becomes the most meaningful part of how they use Facebook. And today, more than 400 million people on Facebook belong to a group that they find meaningful,’ the company said in a blog post. ‘With this in mind, we’re rolling out a fresh new design for Facebook that’s simpler and puts your communities at the center. We’re also introducing new tools that will help make it easier for you to discover and engage with groups of people who share your interests.’ Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook app, also added in an interview, ‘We’ve seen just a variety of these communities emerge and become really meaningful to people. We are now really preaching communities as the center of the app in addition to friends and family.’
New Features
The redesign for the mobile app on iPhones and Androids has been started and will soon launch a redesign for the desktop version too. After its biggest scandals in 2016 regarding concerns that Facebook is dividing people rather than bringing them together, it is trying to focus on groups to ‘give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.’
A newly added feature on the app is the new groups tab that’s now placed in the middle row of the redesigned menu bar. When tapping in, users will now get a personalized feed of updates from their various groups as well as recommendations to join new groups based on their interests. Facebook is promoting groups by displaying a photo of people gathered at a table with a button that says “Find Your Groups” in the News Feed. This is achieved by clicking on the discover icon to let Facebook let you find new groups. And when you post on Facebook, there will also be an option to share in groups that you joined.
The main utility people get from Facebook these days is in connecting with communities both large and small that are largely away from the public eye and centered on a shared interest. Therefore, for events, Facebook is making an effort in helping people find stuff to do in their neighborhood. The new events tab that is now placed next to the groups tab in the new menu bar layout, features a detailed map view for displaying various events in proximity to one another.
Different Communities Have Different Needs
Further development of the groups tab also features for communities in gaming and job openings. Employers who post in job groups will see a template to create a job that includes sections such as contact options, job title, location, job type and job description. Instead of clicking on a link for a job, Facebook will let job seekers apply directly on the social network. Members of gaming groups will be able to create threads to chat about specific topics such as tips and tricks and introductions. And for groups that buy and sell things, Facebook said it’s also exploring a way to allow users to place an order when the seller is talking about the product during a live video.
