Facebook recently unveiled three new parts: a revamped “Groups” feature, an upgraded dashboard to be able to see your apps better and the craziest one of them all – a “Download Your Information” option that allows you to download EVERYTHING you EVER posted on Facebook into one zip file for your viewing pleasure. Why one would want to do that…I couldn’t tell you. After the jump, full details on each of these new features.
Revamped Dashboard
This is set to “give you visibility into how applications use your data to personalize your experience,” the social network explained in a blog post. “As you start having more social and personalized experiences across the web, it’s important that you can verify exactly how other sites are using your information to make your experience better.”
To access the new dashboard and keep track of what applications you use, go to “Account,” then “Privacy Settings,” followed by “Edit your settings” under the option (on the bottom left-hand side of the screen) called “Applications and Websites.” Click “Edit settings” next to “Applications you use,” and then, to see what permissions you’ve set for each application, click “Edit settings” next to the app you’d like to review.
Groups Feature:
Designed to allow users to share information–from pictures to status updates–with only a limited cluster of Facebook friends. Facebook explained on its blog, “With new Groups, we made it easy for you to build a space for important groups of people in your life—your family, your soccer team, your book club.” Facebook adds, “When a group member posts to the group, everyone in the group will receive a notification about that post.”
Users can create a Group, add friends, send them email updates, group chat with all group members simultaneously, or collaboratively edit documents. Each Group represents a space amongst a set of friends. Groups are built into the news feed composer as optional distribution parameters. They’re part of the Open Graph, so users can go to any website and have all the activity of their friends broken down by Groups, and will also be accessible through Facebook Mobile.
Facebooks new “Groups” feature offers three primary ways for the Group members to communicate: via a group chat, email, or on Facebook in a “shared space” which can be limited to the Group’s members.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained, “From this space, you can quickly post photos, make plans and keep up with ongoing conversations. You can also group chat with members who are online right now. You can even use each group as an email list to quickly share things when you’re not on Facebook. The net effect is your whole experience is organized around spaces of the people you care most about.”
Download Your Information
Lets you “quickly download to your computer everything you’ve ever posted on Facebook and all your correspondences with friends: your messages, Wall posts, photos, status updates and profile information.”
To take advantage of the new tool, go to “Account,” then “Account Settings” followed by “Learn more” next to the “Download Your Information” option. After this, click the green “Download” button. You’ll receive an email when your information is ready for download.
Source: Huffington Post
