One of the problems with Facebook’s News Feed is that older posts stay at the top for a while. Facebook is addressing this issue by updating its News Feed algorithm. Facebook said that its goal is to show the right content at the right time so that important stories are not missed. The update to the News Feed will be based on two factors: trending topics and engagement (the rate of “likes” and comments).
“We’ve heard feedback that there are some instances where a post from a friend or a Page you are connected to is only interesting at a specific moment, for example when you are both watching the same sports game, or talking about the season premiere of a popular TV show,” said Facebook in a blog post.
You may have noticed that content is surfaced when it refers to trending topics, which are displayed on the right-hand side of the desktop version of Facebook. Facebook said that early testing of trending posts has shown more than a 6% increase in people engaging with the stories.
To decide the posts that surface to the top, Facebook is also going to factor the rate that people are liking or commenting on a post. Facebook currently looks at the total number of likes that a post received, but now it will look at when people like, comment and share posts. People that engage with the story shortly after it is posted means that it was most interesting at that time, but will be less interesting at a later time. This means that posts that receive likes, comments and shares faster will be posted higher in the News Feed.
Will this cause any changes for Facebook Pages? If a Facebook Page posts about a trending topic or if a post sees high velocity of engagement early on, then that post may see increased distribution sooner. “Pages should keep producing great content that is relevant and resonates with their audience,” added Facebook.
Some Facebook Page owners claim that their posts are getting less “organic” attention. Because of this, Facebook has been accused of making Page owners pay for more ads. Facebook responded by saying that Pages are seeing less organic traffic because of an increase in competition and the lowering of click-bait titles.
Why is Facebook making these changes? Facebook did not explicitly say why the changes are being made, but there is speculation that it has something to do with the Ferguson, Missouri protests. During the protests in Ferguson, Missouri,
Razorfish’s senior director of social media marketing Matt Heindl believes that there is a fundamental difference between Facebook and Twitter. Heindl said that Facebook is not a place for hard news compared to Twitter. “Facebook is a place for friends and family and fun,” said Heindl via DigiDay. “People want it to be their happy place.”
Last year, Facebook said that there are 1,500 potential stories from friends and Pages for users to see every time the News Feed is visited. This includes photos, news links, and check-ins. Facebook shows more content based on user feedback such as hiding something or liking something. This lets Facebook prioritize an average of 300 stories out of the 1,500 stories to show at any given time.
Do you think Facebook already does a good job of showing you the right stories or do you think it could be improved? Let us know in the comments below!
