The third and biggest update to Facebook was announced recently and the changes coming are super exciting. Here’s what you can expect when the new Facebook layout is rolled out. 

The Home Page

1. The real time ticker

The ticker is found in the upper right corner of the screen. It includes what your friends are doing right now – commenting on a friend’s status, uploading a pic, commenting on an album.

And if you want to see the pic commented on or see the list of comments to a status, simply click on the item. It gives Facebook a Twitter-esque feel with these ‘updates’ changing regularly and being able to follow the comments with just a click. 

2. Lists

Lists are an organiser’s dream! You can add family members to Family, good friends to Close Friends, and so on. You can also include the same friend in multiple lists if need be. The best part about the list functionality is that you can post a status update to a specific list only if you want to. You simply click on the list’s name, and then type in your update as usual. 

The Profile Page

1. Cover Photo

This is the large image that will appear at the top of your profile. The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” will definitely apply here as this image should encapsulate you as a person – your sense of humour, what you like, your hobbies, etc. Mashable.com posted a few awesome versions of the cover photo which I just had to share below:

*Note: Your profile image or avatar still represents you when you comment on a status update, album etc.

2. Timeline

No longer referred to as your profile page, your timeline is a visual history of everything you have ever done on Facebook (pics you’ve uploaded, events you’ve attended, status updates you’ve posted, etc).

And now it goes back all the way until when you were born. And since you can now add content to your past, you are encouraged to create a virtual scrapbook of your life. You are also able to go back in your timeline and see what you got up to in July.

*Note: This will be opt-in to start with but in the long run it will become the default.

3. Subscriptions

Similar to following someone on Twitter, you will now be able to subscribe to updates of other Facebook users. This feature now changes the need for you to request another user to “be your friend” before you are able to see their updates. This button will be next to the normal message and poke buttons on a user’s timeline. 

If you are subscribing to a friend’s updates, you will be able to control how much of their content is seen in your feed. If you want to see all their posts, then you’ll click All Updates. If you only want to hear the important bits (like when they get engaged or married) then you’ll click Only Important. 

The best use of the subscribe function is when you subscribe to someone who is not your friend. Perhaps they are someone famous or are someone that works in a similar field and are seen as a mentor. Whatever the reason, by subscribing you are able to see their public updates.

In the same way that you can subscribe to profiles, users will also be able to subscribe to yours. However the option is there as to whether you want to allow people to subscribe or not.

Facebook Gestures

The reign of the like button seems to be coming to an end! Facebook Gestures will allow developers to turn any verb into a button. This means that soon you’ll see options to update your status that you’re watching X movie, or that you’re reading Y book, or event that you’re listening to Z music track. I’ve always wanted to be able to say I Love something rather than just Like it, so I’m looking forward to what options will be available.

Facebook Apps

A new Open Graph is being launched for developers to build apps that allow users to share what they are doing without overloading their friends’ feeds. Previously an app had to ask permission each time it wanted to share content to your profile.

With a new permission screen explaining exactly what stories will be shared when first using the app, you will no longer be asked permission each time. This means that it’s easier to share that you read X article on Y site.