Expect big changes at Facebook this week - and if you log in to the site now, you'll be looking at some of them already, including a new 'news ticker' that has ignited strong reactions from users.
The new update to the site 'splits' news into 'top stories' - the company declined to explain how these are chosen for each individual - and a 'news ticker' that crawls up the right side of the screen, adding updates as they come in.
It's thin, moves rapidly - and makes the home page rather crowded.
'I don't like it. Too much info in one screen,' said one user.
'The news feed just seems like more complication,' said another.
'Make it stop! Please God make it stop!' pleaded another.
'Starting today, it will be easier to keep up with the people in your life no matter how frequently or infrequently you're on Facebook,' wrote Facebook engineer Mark Tonkelowitz on the company's blog.
'When you pick up a newspaper after not reading it for a week, the front page quickly clues you into the most interesting stories. In the past, News Feed hasn't worked like that. Updates slide down in chronological order so it's tough to zero in on what matters most. Now, News Feed will act more like your own personal newspaper. You won't have to worry about missing important stuff.'
News ticker - unveiled at the same time - works more similarly to the old News Stream, but many users find it distracting, and more akin to the relentless speed of the less popular rival Twitter.
Google has also 'opened' its previously invitation-only Facebook rival Google Plus to the public - and unveiled a Google Doodle directing users to it.
News ticker, though, should just be the first of a number of changes to Facebook this week - in advance of the company's F8 conference on Tuesday. Facebook will reportedly include new ways of showing your appreciation for your friend's links, videos, and endless pictures of new babies, in its revamp to be unveiled on Thursday.
Alongside ‘like’, users will have the option of clicking ‘read’, ‘watched’ and ‘listened’. In the future a ‘want’ button may also be added.
Other improvements which will reportedly be made public at the F8 conference include a revamp of the iconic profile page and tie-ins with a string of major media companies.
Facebook is expected to use the event to reassert its dominance after the launch of Google+, its newest competitor, which has 25million users in three months - still a tiny hudle of curious geeks in comparison to Facebook's 750 million regular users.
The rumour mill has inevitably gone into overdrive but multiple technology websites have reported an expansion of Facebook’s ‘like’ button.
Part of this would be a real-time stream or ‘ticker’ of what a user’s friends were listening to or doing at that very moment - a service similar to that already offered by apps such as GetGlue, which offer users the chance to 'share' previously antisocial experiences such as watching TV alone.
Analysts have said that by doing this it will give Facebook even more data about its users and enable them to target adverts with greater precision than they can now.
Facebook is also expected to launch a platform which will allow users to share films, videos and pictures, effectively turning the user’s homepage into an entertainment hub.
Budding photographers could also be able to adjust their photos with filters and effects in a direct threat to websites like Instagram.
Facebook could also unveil its first iPad app - despite the iPhone app being a phenomenal success it has still not released one on its successor. Hackers said that there was already a functioning iPad app 'hidden' within the code of the iPhone one, so this seems highly likely.
There is also widespread speculation that there will be some kind of tie-in with music sharing websites Spotify or Deezer and even film rentals direct from the website in a partnership with Netflix and Hulu.
Other partners could include Yahoo in a role which will be unveiled at the conference.
Although Facebook is still the world’s largest social networking site with 750million users, it has been under pressure from Google and other media sites for a number of months, especially since the launch of Google+.
Commentators have noted that Facebook’s Smart Friends list looks similar to Circles on Google+, prompting some to ask if it has run out of ideas.
Mashable's Ben Parr has claimed that Facebook has drawn up a ‘major’ profile redesign that may be to do with an HTML5 platform called Project Spartan.
Such a move would be a bold statement that the company is prepared to look at everything in a bid to appear fresh and relevant.
