New Facebook App: Facebook Home

in Social Media / No Comments

There is a new Facebook app out for the Android, it is called the Facebook Home app, and it is now available on the Google Play website. It has not met with a very good reception at the moment, as many people feel that there are things that need to be patched. Nevertheless, the app is available now for free, so one can hardly complain too much

A quick rundown of what this new app involves

You can use the app to see the latest Facebook posts. It allows you to see the newest posts from your friends at a glance, as they are all available to see on the apps start screen (its home page).

It allows you to chat with people using the Facebook messenger service. It allows you to IM chat with people in a similar fashion to the way you can IM chat with people on the Facebook desktop website.

The app has bigger notifications than the other Facebook apps, and it allows you to see things from Facebook and Instagram a lot quicker than if you were to check the Facebook desktop website.

Facebook Home App

All about the new Facebook app

It is now available on the Android and allows you to put your friends first on your app. It has replaced the standard home screen with posts and photos provided by your friends. It is an app that is far more interested in connecting you with your friends a lot quicker than other Facebook apps. It also allows you to get other apps. You can do this by swiping from your profile picture onto the app of your choice. This will open up the app launcher.

The app allows you to install the messenger app so that you can get the experience that you would have at home on your desktop computer. The new app launcher function is a lot easier to use and if you are chatting via the Facebook messenger, you can still use other apps at the same time.

What can I use the Facebook app on?

Essentially, it is available on all Android phones, but the developers recommend it for the following devices.

Samsung Galaxy Note II
Samsung Galaxy S III
HTC One X
HTC One X+

The news feed is the first thing you see

This is the function that allows you to see the posts by your newest friends, their newest photos and any other relevant updates. This is known as the news feed, and is very easy to navigate through. You can swipe through the news feed in order to see more posts, and if you want to like a post then all you need to do is double-tap the post with your finger. You can even create and post comments right from the news feed. You do not have to move into a different section in order to post a comment.

There is a notifications function on the new Facebook app

The notifications symbol is available on the far right of your home screen. They stay in that place until as/and when you need them. If you want the notifications to disappear, then open them by tapping on them, or clear them away in a similar manner. You can do all of this from the home page that first appears when you launch the app.

You can jump out of and into conversations on messenger

You can send or receive a message via Facebook messages, or you can chat with the IM function, and all without having to switch screens. You can enter and leave conversations and do other things whilst you are at it, including browse the web on your Internet browser. You are not cut-off from the conversation when you move out of a conversation/chat panel.

About the author:
John Kravz is a representative of Proessaywriting.com that provides professional help on your writing assignments, like essay, research papers or dissertations.

5 SEO Challenges of Responsive Web Design

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Responsive web design is being hailed as the end all, be all solution by several web design professionals. This is no huge revelation when factoring in its ability to effectively address the conundrum born from such a wide variety of web-enabled devices. With that said, this trend is proving to be one of those things with no middleground. People either strongly recommend it, or disapprove. Those who are against it are probably familiar with some, if not all of these SEO burdens responsive web design brings to the table.

SEO - Search engine optimization

1. Structural Issues

On the web, marketing and SEO objectives are generally easy to align. As a result, it is possible to implement features designed to captivate the visitor on top of optimized content geared to attract the search spiders and get the visitor their in the first place. The very nature of responsive web design can present a situation where you literally have to choose one or the other. So if you’re putting the spotlight on certain components, be it an app or even a web form, it could come at the sacrifice of your SEO or marketing value depending on your site structure.

2.The Speed Dilemma

You probably know that speed is among the many factors Google looks at when evaluating the search value of a website. What that means is that if your pages are slow to load or crawl in general, it’s going to cost you in the SEO department. It only makes sense in the eyes of Google because a slow page obviously shouldn’t wield the same value as one that greets the visitor with a fast and optimal experience.

Responsive websites generally run slower than sites that have specifically been designed for mobile users. There are a number of reasons for this, including the fact they are usually rich in code and content, which gives the browser more to process. Because of the speed aspect,  businesses have come to appreciate having two separate versions of their web destination – one that caters to traditional computing devices that handle huge chunks of content with relative ease, the other stripped down and optimized to run fast on sensitive smartphones.

3. Lack of Keyword Variance

The desktop web doesn’t fully port over to the mobile version in the way of performance or SEO value. In regard to the latter, it means that the same keywords that have clout on PCs don’t always produce the same visibility as those used on mobile devices.  This puts responsive design, which is designed to deliver the same content, keywords and all, to every device platform, at a disadvantage right off the bat. As a result, you may once again have to make a sacrifice, this time choosing where you want the most visibility.

4. URL Modifications

Responsive design eliminates the need to have two separate versions and two separate URLs for your site. This may seem like a good thing on the surface, but it can actually be detrimental from an SEO perspective. URLs play a huge role in the optimization process, in terms of both indexing and ranking. So whenever you alter them, you run the risk of hurting your position. Tweaking a URL is one thing. Getting rid of it is an another.

5. The User Experience

The user experience has a bigger impact on SEO than you can ever imagine. Let’s say your website is known for its popular Java-based social game. In this case, responsive web design can prevent the user from enjoying the experience they came for in spite of your solid SEO efforts. For example, visitors with devices that struggle to render Java could have a difficult time with the game, despite it being at the top of the search page. This could in turn, result in quick departures that impact bounce rates and negatively affect rankings in the end.

The Big Picture

An article on Search Engine Land tells us that sites with responsive web design are losing over 10% of total mobile web. That number, as many statistics are, is rather misleading, but it should be viewed as an eye opener nonetheless. The fact remains that while the responsive concept will in most cases bolster your SEO efforts, it can also hurt them in others. Therefore, anyone considering this method should heavily weigh the pros and cons and more importantly, devise a strategy that will enable the positives to outweigh the negatives.

About the author:

Aidan Hijleh is a freelance copywriter and serves as the Non-Profit Partnership Liaison for Benchmark Email. Aidan advocates free email marketing services to assist with the flourishing of grassroots organizations.