Facebook Inc is testing a feature in the Facebook News Feed that provides customized links to news on topics of interest to individual users, as the company continues to search for ways to increase the amount of time that people spend using the world's largest social media network. FILE PHOTO - The Facebook logo is displayed on the company's website in an illustration photo taken in Bordeaux, France on February 1, 2017. The offering, called "Featured Topic," is being tested on News Feed, the core of Facebook. Each selected item includes a couple of sentences of text on a subject, a link to a news story and a photo, according to an example seen by Reuters on Thursday. Facebook confirmed that the feature was in testing and said it was designed to help people discover stories that might be relevant to them. The company makes frequent changes to the News … [Read more...] about Facebook tests adding news stories customized to users’ interests
News feed website design
Facebook News Feed becomes personal newspaper
Facebook began Thursday transforming the stream of updates from friends at homepages into a "personalized newspaper," with news ranging from the personal to the global. The News Feed on homepages at the leading social network was revamped to get rid of clutter and present "bright, beautiful" stories, such as insights from friends or trending news of the day. "I think there is a special place in the world for this sort of personalized newspaper," Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg said in introducing the overhauled News Feed. "It should have a front page and top news section or let you drill down into any topic you want." Facebook is rolling out the new News Feed "very slowly" at its website reached by desktop or laptop, and will begin adding it to smartphone and tablet applications in the coming weeks. Each News Feed will automatically be tuned to the interests of individual Facebook users, according to technical lead Chris Struhar. Pictures in the feed will be gleaned from … [Read more...] about Facebook News Feed becomes personal newspaper
HTC One wows with stunning design, premium parts
Last year's HTC One X was bigger, bolder and more powerful than any smart phone that had gone before it, but for all its charms it was quickly outpaced by the brighter and even more slick Samsung Galaxy S3. The HTC One represents a desperate reinvention for HTC, a drastic move to pack in new hardware and software features in a bid to claw back the top spot. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is barrelling towards us over the horizon though -- will the HTC One be good enough to keep the Galaxy gang at bay? Or is HTC's new toy on a one-way trip to the landfill? I've gone hands-on with the HTC One ahead of its UK launch on 15 March, so read on for everything you need to know, and my first impressions of using this metal mobile. Be sure to bookmark this page too, because we'll be updating it with more hands-on photos and video, and eventually a full review with a star rating. Design and display Before last year's plastic devices, HTC used to be known for making chunky, metal … [Read more...] about HTC One wows with stunning design, premium parts
High-tech 2012: The 10 biggest news events of the year
Dog years may snag all the metaphors, but canine aging doesn't blaze by nearly as fast as the news cycle in the technology world. With 2012 drawing to a close, it's hard to parse the flood of major stories that have taken place since Labor Day alone, much less during the whole 12 months. The biggest news this year was, of course, the release of Windows 8, which brought renewed energy to the PC ecosystem, along with more than its fair share of controversy—not the least of which was Microsoft's matter to take hardware matters into its own hands with the launch of its self-made Surface tablet. … [Read more...] about High-tech 2012: The 10 biggest news events of the year
Facebook ditches fake news warning flag
Facebook no longer displays red warning icons next to fake news stories shared on the platform, as it says the approach has not worked as hoped.In December 2016, the site started showing a "disputed" warning next to articles that third-party fact checking websites said were fake news.However, it said research suggested the "red flag" approach actually "entrenched deeply held beliefs".It will now display "related articles" next to disputed news stories."Academic research on correcting misinformation has shown that putting a strong image, like a red flag, next to an article may actually entrench deeply held beliefs - the opposite effect to what we intended," Facebook's Tessa Lyons wrote in a blog post.Instead of displaying a warning icon in the news feed, it will instead "surface fact-checked articles" and display them next to disputed stories.Facebook said it had tested the approach and found that although the new approach did not reduce the number of times disputed articles were … [Read more...] about Facebook ditches fake news warning flag