[gui-talk] looks like facebook is changing again.

[Humberto Avila]

Hello Facebook users:
I just found out something that I think will be a big change on all Facebook
profiles and including changes in the m.Facebook.com mobile site. An article
appeared in the USA today last Friday about, supposedly, a new feature on
Facebook that will add more functionality on its profiles. this change will
not only occur in the main Facebook site but there are signs that the mobile
site will also be affected. I am posting the article in case you want to
look at the details yourselves. the article itself is pretty much not
blindness related; but indeed something to do with a graphical user
interface. the only reason I'm bringing up this is because I am concerned,
like most of you, about the accessibility or inaccessibility of this change.
Yes they did mention the site http://m.facebook.com in this story. who knows
what methods or technologies they'll be using for their new features. Here
is the article:
 
----------Start Article---
 
Facebook rocks users' worlds again

By Jon Swartz, USA TODAY

Love it or hate it, it's time for Timeline.

Facebook's new look, first shown at a Facebook developers conference here in
September, rolled out worldwide on Thursday.

The feature offers users a visual personal history that is similar to a
digital scrapbook or vanity license plate. Some have even compared its look
to Myspace.

Facebook's 800 million members can either wait for a notification to pop up
on their screen or go to Facebook.com/about/Timeline to get Timeline.
Eventually all profiles will switch to the new look. Timeline is also
available on touch devices using m.Facebook.com and Facebook for Android.

If you've put embarrassing photos or posts on Facebook, you'll have seven
days after switching to Timeline to prune them from your profile before
Timeline becomes the default look on your profile page.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called Timeline a way to share life
experiences, but it could also become a carrot for marketers and advertisers
to target consumers based on their "likes" and devotion to certain brands as
Facebook duels with Google+ and other social networks for advertising
dollars, analysts say.

R. "Ray" Wang, CEO at Constellation Research, says Timeline should improve
the user experience by adding detail and context to one's profile.

At the same time, Wang cautions, "There's a growing concern among
individuals that Facebook is driving individuals to trade their privacy for
convenience without understanding the risks. Can individuals turn it off
forever if Facebook still owns the data? What do you do to take yourself out
of a Timeline? Is this the beginning of digital extortion?

Facebook users, who have been historically quick to blanch at new features,
seem to be divided into two camps: those who love it and those who loathe
it. And, as with previous Facebook features, many users are fretting over
the security of their personal data. It's almost blog-like, allowing more
ownership," says Stephanie Howell, 25, social media manager at Z Gallerie, a
home-furnishing decor company.

Suzie Linville, 33, of Phoenix is concerned about privacy. You never know
who's going to hack into your page and use that information in a negative
manner," she says. Once Facebook shows me they are on top of security -- I
don't fully believe they are -- I'll go back and check it out.

 

-------end of article-----

 

Any opinions?