I think by now, everyone who has a Facebook account noticed the changes, or at least some of them, as only some of the new features have rolled out.  If you don’t know what’s happening with Facebook, you probably have a real life and interact with your friends in person.  Or you live under a rock.

So for those who don’t know or understand what happened to their Facebook accounts, here are the latest updates before and after the f8 Developer Conference.

Pre-f8

Friends List, which features the Smart List, Close Friends and Acquaintances List and the Better Suggestions – kind of like Google+ Circles.

“Subscribe” button, which functions much like Twitter’s follow button. It lets you choose what you see from people in the News Feed, even if you’re not friends with them.

News Feed?  It’s like your personal newspaper that highlights the top stories, all featured in a single stream at the top of the page.  An additional feature you’ll find in the top or most recent feeds is the “blue corner.”  It’s a way of earmarking content.

The Ticker itself gives you real-time updates as to what your friends are up to, like if they changed their profile photo or recently made a new friend, or changed their status update.

Post-f8

Timeline: features a customizable scrapbook where content can be pinned to signify an important milestone in your life.

Social Apps: automate your app activity and connects you with friends accordingly.

The new Open Graph allows for a “frictionless experience,” real-time serendipity, and finding patterns in what you and your friends do.

If you still have a big question mark plastered on your forehead as to what these updates mean or do, it’s just this simple: Facebook aims to make your whole life revolve around its network.  These updates bring you closer to your friends by providing real-time updates about what your friends are doing, so you can easily butt in.

Do you like the new face of Facebook?

Honestly, I find Ticker amusing, as I don’t have to leave my current page just to join a conversation.  And the new News Feed is kind of cool–there’s always something new to read, unlike before.  But yesterday, as I was going through my News Feed, I saw that some of my friends had the same Status message, it read:

Dear Facebook,

I liked you better when you were simpler.  Why did you suddenly change?  You’re getting too complicated and you have a lot of things going on which I’m really not fond of.  I’m concerned that one day, you’d end up like your brother, Friendster, who started as a social platform but turned into a gaming platform, and your cousin Multiply who from being a blog site, turned into a retail site.  You should be more like your sister, Twitter, though all she does is gossip and constantly chatter at least she’s still simple.  Or you could also be like your cousin Tumblr, though he lives in his own world, at least he’s still simple and uncomplicated.  Don’t aim too high because this might cause your downfall.  I’m confused with what’s happening to you and I don’t understand why you had to change.  You better think about your actions, I might just leave you for your rival Google+.

Love,

A Concerned Facebook User

I’m sorry but I had to laugh when I read this.  I must admit, I wasn’t a big fan of the changes but I’m starting to get the hang of it.  Still, I understand why others feel this way; not everyone likes change.  But the only thing constant in this world is change, so either learn to love the new Facebook or just stop using it.  It’s still your choice.