Five months later and it looks like Facebook is ready to release its new profile redesign. Facebook had announced it was working on a redesign earlier this year. In May, a glimpse of the redesigned was released to developers in the developers sandbox. Tomorrow evening the redesign will be open to the public.
Back on Schedule
Originally, the redesign was scheduled to be released earlier this week on Wednesday. However, there were numerous API problems which Facebook promptly notified developers about. Since then, developers and users have been able to access a preview of the new profile redesign by heading to http://www.new.facebook.com. Yesterday evening Facebook released the following message to developers:
“We know you’ve been working hard getting your applications ready for integration with the new profile. Thank you for working alongside us. We’re close to the starting line – when users can start opting in to see the new site. We recommend you have your applications ready by Sunday evening so that users’ first experience with your applications on the new profile will be a great one.”
What’s New
Now that it’s time to get ready for the official public launch here’s the scoop on some of what’s new for users of Facebook:
- New Menu Bar
- Mini-Feed and Wall are now under the wall tab
- A new “Bio” box
- Complete rearrangement of tabs for your wall, info, photos, and apps
- Facebook Apps are now found in the “Boxes” tab
- Users can add extra tabs
- Use your webcam to take a photo or record a video to add to your collection or post on the Wall of your friends
Love it or Hate it?
I think the new redesign is great. I only wish that the wall and mini-feed were separated still. However, I love the idea of having custom tabs and I love the new menu bars. The breakdown and options provided for each tab is great and should encourage users to use certain features more like posting notes and sharing links. We’d like to hear your thoughts though. So leave a comment and let us know if you like the redesign or if you’d rather stick with the current design.
