Facebook Drops Like Button From Public Pages in Major Redesign

Facebook has removed the like button from its redesigned public pages used by artists, public figures and brands, the social media company said on Wednesday. This is a pretty big change and now it will instead focus more on the news feed for conversations, rather than highlighting the likes on FB pages.

Facebook pages will only show followers and have a dedicated News Feed where users can join conversations, interact with peers, and engage with fans, the company said in a blog post. The new redesign has started rolling out on January 6.

"We are removing Likes and focusing on Followers to simplify the way people connect with their favourite Pages," Facebook said about the redesign.

The notable changes include a redesigned layout, News Feed, easy navigation, updated task-based admin controls, actionable insights, and safety features.

Users can now navigate between personal profile and pages quickly. With the new admin controls, users can choose to give trusted page admins full control or partial access. “You'll now be able to grant varying levels of access to manage specific tasks including Insights, Ads, Content, and Community Activity & Messages. This will also ensure account safety and integrity,” Facebook said in the blog.

The new safety features will ensure proper detection of spams and impersonator accounts.

The dedicated News Feed will also show and suggest new connections that include other public figures, pages, groups, and trending content. Comments from public figures will also be bumped up to the top. Users will be able to follow pages directly from comments and recommendation posts, the company said.

Facebook said that more experiences for pages will roll out in the coming months as well.

© Thomson Reuters 2020

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