Facebook has gone and done it again, making everyone mad with changes. Personally, I couldn’t be happier, because I’ve been waiting for the day that this happens. Here’s why…
Forever I’ve been wanting to separate my news feed into “people” and “pages”. If I wanted to see updates from pages, I could just look in one specific spot, and if I wanted to see updates from my friends (which was much more often) I would go to that place. NOW I am able to do this! I avoid the actual News Feed now like it’s the plague.
This is what I’ve done…
First I created a list called “Status Feed”. I did this by clicking the “more” link next to lists on the left side of my Facebook page. Then I clicked “Create a List”. I named the list Status Feed and then added all of my Facebook friends to the list. Then I created another list called “Pages” doing the same thing, except this time I only selected all of the pages (or companies) that I follow. After I’ve created those lists I added them to my favorites by clicking the little pencil icon to the left of the list and selecting “Add to Favorites”.
Now when I click on Status Feed on the left it will show all of my friend’s status updates. When I click Pages, I can see all of the pages that I follow. I have also created a few more lists for more specific people (just like I’ve done with my Google+ Circles.) When I don’t have very much time I can click on just my Utah friends to get updates on them, or close friends, or my blogging friends. Some of my friends are in a few of my lists. Now I only see exactly what I want to see, and I LOVE it!
I’ve customized the feed even further to make sure I don’t see when my friends are playing games, because I don’t care. If you DO care though, you can create another list that JUST shows your friend’s gaming updates! You do this by clicking on your list on the left and then clicking “Manage List” in the top right corner. Click “Choose Update Type” from the drop down, and then click “Manage List” again. Now you will see the different update types you can check or uncheck.
So, before you go complaining that everything is different, go ahead and take advantage of the new customization options you have, and rejoice!
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I don’t mind so much the lists as much as I mind the changes this morning. BUT I am getting stuff on the ticker that isn’t even from people on my friends list! I had all that stuff hidden in the old feed because I didn’t want to see it! If they would give us the CHOICE of the old feed or the new feed, I would be fine…. but the new way does NOT work for me.
Oh my gosh, Sarah! Thank you sooo much! I was so annoyed when I got on this morning and saw the change. Now I’m a bit happier. =)
Thank you that does help! But like Carol its the feed on the right that takes away the privacy, being able to see friends post on their friends post is not something I want!
That’s the real problem most people have. People can get used to annoying changes (or good changes that seem annoying initially). People should NOT get used to their information being opened to second and third parties whom they had always had blocked previously. It’s the scrolling sidebar from hell that most people are really pissed about.
Ahhh.. That’s an easy one! Very bottom right hand corner of the screen is a little button you can push that says “hide sidebar”! 😀
No…no it does not – it only hides the “CHAT” sidebar – it does not turn off the “Ticker” –
Ah ha… I didn’t see the sidebar you are talking about, because I don’t use the News Feed. I see what you mean now, if you set up lists and just use those, you won’t see that sidebar.
It hides it on mine. If you have your privacy settings set right, it shouldn’t show it to anyone who you don’t want it shown to.
however I do understand about the information sharing. I don’t think it’s open if you have specifically closed it though. I haven’t dug into that part enough to find out yet though.
Do you still need to change each friend from MOST updates to ALL updates to see everything within your list?
Of course there is a third option of IMPORTANT updates and I’d love to know how in the heck Facebook plans to determine which of my friend’s post is important.
Thank you for putting into perspective for me! It does seem to be a better formet – just a matter of getting used to it! 🙂
I hope someone comes out with a comprehensive guide to the changes in the next couple days. I’m getting comments that my friends are leaving on their other (non-mutual) friends wall and its giving me the whole conversation thread; posting it on MY wall.
Hide sidebar DID hide my ticker as well.
I separated my news feeds like you suggested, but now I get ‘notifications’ for EVERY friend’s post! Instead of just notifications when something’s posted on my comment or wall, it’s everyone’s posts! Any suggestions how to fix that?
Thank you so much for this post! I’m starting to get the hang of organizing things a little better. I had one question – how do you put pages in a group? It seems like I can only add or remove friends to a group?
Ok, the ticker on the right side of the page when you’re on your “home” page. I realize that I can avoid seeing the ticker if I just look at a list instead of the basic home page. But my concern is that my friends see all of my FB activity on THEIR tickers. Every time I “Like” anything, any comments I make (even to other friends), every game I play… And of course I’m seeing all theirs if I look at my ticker too. How do we keep this information private?
Great question Tami, I’ll address that in tomorrows post for you. 🙂 It can be turned off.
Yeah, I just really don’t need to see “Person X likes Person Y’s post” when person Y isn’t someone I know at all. And not everyone on FB needs to be notified when I like Person X’s posts either.
hello,my facebook sidebar was in hide status now and i want to get it back how to do it. Can you help me out with clear answer.
This is a great how-to post and I will be sharing it, but what most irritates me about Facebook is that they keep making sweeping changes that REQUIRE us to rethink how we use the platform. Why wouldn’t THEY have automatically created lists of people vs. pages? How is that not an obvious division of information? I am also thankful that FB has given us more control, but I sure think they could have done it in a way that allows people to opt-in to changes rather than having to keep opting out.
Any idea how to globally change my subscriptions to read “All News” that my friends post? I know it could be overwhelming on my News Feed, but I would rather have everyone showing up and limit those I am not interested in than to have only the folks FB decided I would be interested in. I put all of my friends into a group called Status Feed, but the subscription has remained as “Some News”.
thanks! i think i’ll do the same thing!
Wait — do you have to click on every single friend to add them to your status list?
I don’t mind changes small ones but this is crazy I have to go through over 900 friends and change what I want to see that’s nuts I don’t have that kind of time and I definitely don’t want to know what there friends are doing I seriously don’t care and I highly doubt they care what I’m doing that’s cutting into the privacy act big time and then change the way I deal with my privacy settings not kewl at all now I’m not sure if I’m safe or not I can’t tell if my friend is on line or not and can’t tell how to fix that problem as she’s on line and I can’t see her yet she can see me I seriously don’t get it at all I want the option to view the old style at least I understand it some of us are not computer geeks I’m old school didn’t have a computer till I was in my 30s my kids grew up on em and even they say it’s complicated what’s that tell ya all I can say is GRRRRRRRRRR and HELPPPPPPPPPPP
I watched the tutorial and understand. I understood before I watched it. I don’t like the ticker at all. I don’t like the news feed. I do however, like the way FB was last week. Instead of explaining what we already know, step up, admit a year was wasted and give us what we want…that being the old FB.
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