March 8, 2009 by Matt Thomas
The major selling point that twitter has over Facebook is its real-time nature. Updates on twitter happen almost instantaneously, changing before your eyes as whoever you’re following updates their status. This week it seems that Facebook has woken up to this threat, tweaking its algorithm so that now fresh information floats serenely to the top of search results almost as soon as your friends change anything.
Another innovation that will please grammar fans such as myself is the elimination of your name from the status update bar. Previously your name at the top of the screen meant you were required to make yourself the subject of your status update which of course fans the fires of self obsession amongst the ranks of Facebook users and leads to lots of very dull status updates, ‘John is watching TV,’ ‘Janet is bored,’ etc. Now, rather than asking the leading question ‘what are you doing right now?’ Facebook will ask, ‘What’s on your mind?’
This might seem like a small thing but it really will lead people into the realms of more interesting statements. Anything that can encroach on one-trick pony, Twitter’s territory has to be a good thing for the social networking leader.
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