Facebook's Facelift

CNN's recent article about Facebook's new facelift is yet another social media slap in the face. These sites are everywhere. Facebook's updated look toggles between a main view, which features stories from friends based on the user's habits, and a live feed that features real-time updates from the whole network.

What started as a single-campus site has ballooned into one of the most popular sites on the web. It's a full-blown business. The change in the homepage was made to allow Facebook fanatics to easily find what they missed while they were away- at class, at soccer practice, asleep... "You see the best of the previous day," said product manager Peter deng.

God forbid someone logs off the computer to attend class or sleep. Facebook is the newest craze- a major part of people's day- and the new main page sounds more like a sports highlight reel than a website. What's next?

BLOGS!

So I was stumped when it came to writing my first (of three) class-required blogs. It seems like everyone is blogging these days, and most people have something actually important or interesting to say. I was planning on writing something semi-meaningful about culture or the importance of public relations in shaping a company's image or something, but I figure just the subject of blogging is good enough.

It blows my mind that websites are now creating lists of the Top 100 Bloggers . From media experts like Jeff Jarvis to the now-infamous celebrity gossip queen Perez Hilton, blogs can cover any range of topice and people still find exactly what they're looking for- sports blogs, current events blogs, class blogs, blogs that review restaurants and plays and books and movies...

I think that's the genius of the blogosphere. There's something for everyone. A couple years ago, there were topic-specific magazines and TV shows, but now there are an endless supply of blogs and websites to entertain us and keep us informed. Of course, a blogger needs to establish credibility before his or her reviews will be taken seriously, for example, but that's not at all imppssible. And, if you're lucky, a blog can catapult you to stardom. Perez Hilton now has his own clothing line and makes guest appearances on prime-time television shows.

I don't expect my little class blog to end up on Technorati's Top 100 list or earn me a spot on Perez's website or anything, but it's cool to think about.