Facebook's Big Announcement

There was a lot of anticipation and speculation leading up to the announcement yesterday at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, CA. I tuned into the event, streaming live on Facebook, with hopes that Mark Zuckerberg would bash the producers of "The Social Network." I have yet to see the newly released movie based off of his life, and I have only heard good things about it from those who have seen it, but I just figured it would be entertaining to witness the initiation of a standoff when there have been reports about his dismay over his portrayal in the movie.

Low and behold, the announcement had nothing to do with "The Social Network." While I was initially disappointed, I was intrigued enough to hear what Mr. Zuckerberg had to say. It turns out Facebook will be launching three new services to complement the site. These services are set to address two major issues that have been lingering for years now- privacy and control of personal information. Here is a brief rundown of each new feature...

Download your Information:

This will allow you to download all of your personal information on the site into a convenient Zip file by the click of a button. This includes all basic info, pictures, videos, comments, wall posts, etc. By making this information accessible offline, you can more easily manage your online identity.

Applications Dashboard:

Perhaps the most controversial issue that Facebook has encountered is the ease with which third-party application developers and marketers have attained users' personal information. These privacy concerns are now more transparent. This dashboard will keep track of all of your third-party applications and games, and let you know exactly what information these sites have access to and the last time the information was accessed. You can also further modify your privacy settings from this feature.

Choose Your Best Friends:

This feature suggests and allows you to modify which of your Facebook friends are truly closest to you. Now you can keep tabs on their lives on your News Feed without having to sift through the wall post conversation between two acquaintances that you haven't spoken to since high school.

For a more in-depth look at the new Facebook features take a look at this article:

http://www.fastcompany.com/1693443/facebooks-big-announcements-dashboards-personal-information-downloads-friend-group-lists

The announcement may not have been as entertaining as I had hoped, but it was insightful nonetheless.