Facebook Lite: All of your friends, none of the fat
Facebook Lite just launched in the U.S. and India as a slimmed down version of Facebook that simplifies the interface and cranks up the speed. Here’s a quick look at the social media junk food that Facebook cut out.
As soon as you log into Facebook Lite, you’re greeted with a simplified home page that has your friends’ activity stream. Gone are the filters that allow you to view activities by network or type.
This was a great start for simplifying Facebook as most users don’t bother using the filters. It also cuts an entire column out of Facebook Lite’s layout.
Another change is that there’s no longer an open text box asking, “What’s on your mind?” In its place is a simple button that allows you to write a post by opening up the text dialog.
Another major change is the absence of the Facebook bar at the bottom. Since many users don’t instant message on Facebook, the Lite interface allows you to surf without having to load the IM scripts.
In addition, Facebook stopped using auto-complete for search in Facebook Lite. The search feature actually seems to prioritize friends better, but you do actually have to click the search button now.
Profiles are also slimmer in Facebook Lite, with the wall posting box also replaced with the ‘Write’ button. A little harder to find is the button to message a friend, which is hidden under their ‘Info’ tab.
Any site that includes as many features as Facebook can tend to get a little bloated. This interferes with the user experience and is a pitfall from which many sites never recover.
Releasing Facebook Lite as a secondary interface to speed up the site without taking features away from users was a smart move. However it could be that many users get on board the Facebook Lite train and never go back.
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October 5th, 2009
how to switch back to previous facebook version from facebook lite ??