Photo

In this July 16, 2009 file photo, a Facebook user logs into their account in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick, File)

Regular Photo Size

Consumer Tech

SteelSeries Xai: comfortable, precise

Precision and comfort are two things every gaming-grade mouse …

New tool shares tweeting locations

Twitter can now let the world automatically know your …

Motorola to add Bing to smart phones

Motorola Inc. said Thursday that it will add Microsoft Corp.'s …

UK to Facebook: Install 'panic button'

British officials say they're pressuring Facebook to make a …

Palm Inc. teeters in crowded market

Last year, Palm thought it had all the pieces for a turnaround …

Facebook launches new design

Playing up apps, games and search

Updated: Friday, 05 Feb 2010, 9:31 AM MST
Published : Friday, 05 Feb 2010, 9:11 AM MST

BARBARA ORTUTAY,AP Technology Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Facebook is redesigning its site yet again, this time to better emphasize applications, games and search.

The latest evolution continued Friday after Facebook started rolling the changes out late Thursday, the company's sixth birthday. Links and items have moved around the home page as Facebook tries to streamline navigation and make games and apps stand out more.

The world's largest online social network has continuously morphed its home page as it's grown from a closed hub for college students to a Web and mobile destination for 400 million people worldwide.

Past changes have sparked protests from many users, though Facebook says it makes them to serve its audience better. Facebook says that it conducts months of testing and that many users request such changes.

With the latest redesign, links to friend requests, messages and comment notifications are no longer scattered around and now reside on the top of the page. The search box is more prominent, as is the site's chat feature. Users can now see friends who are currently online without clicking on a link. This doesn't include all friends, only the ones they communicate with often.

There are also new links on the left that take users to online dashboards where they can organize games and applications and find new ones by seeing what their friends use.

Comments (Login Not Required)

Comments that are derogatory, attack other users, offer unsubstantiated facts, use foul language or are offensive in nature can and will be removed as defined by the Terms of Service. KASA is not responsible for the content posted in this comment section. We reserve the right to remove any offensive or off-topic remark or thread. To mark a comment for review by a moderator, click "Report."