Facebook Alters News Feed Algorithm Again Dylan Duarte June 29, 2016 News Facebook and the folks working under the hood are the undefeated champions of fixing things that aren’t broken. The social networking site’s news feed has seen plenty of algorithm changes over the years, each done in an effort to deliver the perfect experience that prioritizes just the right content. This latest change seeks to ensure that content shared by family and friends will take priority over content published by companies. On the surface, this seems ideal for the user. We use Facebook to keep in touch with other people, not companies, so of course we want to see their posts above all. If a publisher shares one of their stories, and a friend of yours shares that same story, you’re much more likely to see your friend’s post. However, this new approach isn’t without its issues. For starters, we follow publishers on Facebook so that we can see their content. I’m not talking about sponsored posts, but the publishers we actively keep up with. Now we might miss some of that content. The second issue is that Facebook has become a vital and integral way for publishers to advertise their content, and now that source of advertisement is being pulled out from under them. I don’t want to come off as anti-consumer. The consumer experience is the most important part, hands down, but Facebook changed the landscape of content delivery and now they’re changing again, putting publishers in a bind. Facebook is powerful, and it is an ever-evolving beast. I don’t know anybody who is 100% happy with the way their news feed works, and I frequently find myself missing important posts because the algorithm simply decided not to show them to me. Now it’s publishers getting the short end of the stick, and considering that in this very article I am speaking as one of those publishers, it’s hard not to worry about the potential impact. Share This With The World!
