Facebook puts a new face on users' profile pages

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Facebook on Sunday unveiled new-look user profile pages that make it "easier for you to tell your story and learn about your friends."

The additions of small, tiled photos and "vital stats" at the top of the profile page are the most prominent changes found in the new design, but many users have already started complaining about the larger ads found on the right-hand side of the page.

Thenextweb.com reader Nik Coates comments that the changes are "pretty awesome, better than before," but adds "I assume the new design will be more popular with advertisers as there are more 'Sponsored' adverts with images."

Comments replying to Facebook's December 5 blog post about the new profile page design are filled with users' complaints of, "how do you change it back? i really do not like it," "Anyone noticed that the ads to the right of your wall are 2 or so centimetres WIDER!! Yuk!!" and "One reason I appreciated Facebook, was for its stripped-down, low-key appearance. This new look seems to be getting too graphic-intensive."

A group called "NO to new FP profile layout" has also been set up, but currently only has around 40 members.

As with every redesign the social networking site makes, Facebook has been inundated with negative feedback, but there are also many social networkers who praise the new layout and its features.

The "new look of the profile is really eye catching and fresh" say users who also like seeing more pictures of their friends, the visually detailed "info" page, the way in which they can customize the images which appear on their page and features like "list sharing."

For full details on the changes visit Facebook's blog post (http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=462201327130), staynalive.com's writeup on Facebook Lists (http://staynalive.com/articles/facebook-lists/) or TechCrunch's full writeup here: http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/05/new-facebook-profile/