At Facebook’s F8 conference this week, the company announced a host of new features coming to its family of apps.
For the platform itself however, the company is focusing on creating more shared spaces within groups
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“Today we’re making changes that put Groups at the center of Facebook and sharing new ways Facebook can help bring people together offline,” the company explained on its blog.
Facebook redesign
Firstly, the platform is getting a faster and “more immersive” redesign called FB5.
According to Facebook the new look will highlight communities and the most frequently used features. It will also include a new Groups tab for “a personalized feed of activity across all your groups”.
Groups will also have tailored features based on what they’re about, such as medical support, career guidance or even gaming.
The company also notes that group content and recommendations will appear in more public places on your profile such as News Feed, the Marketplace and Facebook Watch.
This, along with the redesign, is already rolling out on mobile and will reach desktop users in coming months.
Secret Crushes
Besides expanding Facebook Dating to more countries such as Brazil, Vietnam and Singapore, the company is also introducing a new feature called Secret Crush.
“So now, if you choose to use Secret Crush, you can select up to nine of your Facebook friends who you want to express interest in,” the company said.
If your any of your nine potential significant others are on Facebook Dating, they will be informed that someone has a crush on them. You’ll receive a match if they have a secret crush on you too. Otherwise, the company claims that no one will know who you have a crush on.
Crushes who don’t use Facebook Dating can still add people to the Secret Crush list.
Meeting new people
A new feature called Meet New Friends will introduce you to other Facebook users within similar communities or with similar interests.
“It’s opt-in, so you will only see other people that are open to meeting new friends, and vice versa,” the company explained.
Facebook promises a roll out “soon”.
Shipping and Events
Lastly, Facebook will also be introducing a new Events tab at the end of the year, along with a shipping feature for Marketplace users in the US. The latter will allow users to ship and pay for items from within Facebook.
According to Facebook, these new updates are all aimed at improving the privacy-focused intentions that Facebook has been preaching about all year.
Feature image: Facebook
