Facebook users protest home page changes

A "Change Facebook Back to Normal" group at the website claimed slightly more than a million members as once again, Facebook's penchant for change triggered ire among users that prefer things remain the same.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," a Facebook user with the screen name Carlos Deleon wrote on a protest group chat page.

On Friday, Facebook modified its news feed feature to let members of the world's leading social-networking service catch up on tidbits they may have missed while away from the website.

Facebook now lets members switch between getting real time streams of news or activities taking place, and highlights of what friends have shared online in the preceding 24 hours.

News Feed picks re-cap stories based on factors including how many friends have liked and commented on them.

The Live Feed option funnels updates and news about online friends' activities to Facebook home pages as the information surfaces.

"When we redesigned the Facebook home page last March, we heard from millions of users whose feedback was gathered and considered in developing News Feed and Live Feed," Facebook said in an email response to an AFP inquiry.

"Whenever we launch new products, we listen carefully to our users about what specific changes we can make to improve their experiences on the site."

Some Facebook users on Monday posted instructions describing a way to reset the former news feed mode to home pages by making "status updates" a default option.

"We encourage people to continue to send us constructive, detailed feedback and are committed to using it to inform how we build and improve the site for everyone," Facebook said.

(c) 2009 AFP