Many of Facebook’s more than 1 billion monthly active users would agree — the site is great, but could use some improvement. As users complain about ads, a cluttered and confusing interface, and several other things, there are a few things that Facebook could implement to make the site much more palatable. Here are five innovations (some possible, some rather imaginative) that we think would improve Facebook.
Lisa Raphael (left), the social media producer at Katie Couric's daytime talk show Katie, is one of our featured speakers in Mediabistro's upcoming Social Media Marketing Boot Camp, an online event and workshop starting June 6, 2013. Lisa will share a case study on how the hit show uses Twitter to build interest and buzz around upcoming segments. Learn more about our our twelve event speakers and register here. 
Wondering what to do this weekend and want to see where the hotspots are in your city? HugeCity mines Facebook’s public event data to bring it all together. Now HugeCity has an iOS application, as well as a fresh look for its website.
Although Apple will likely not cede the iPhone’s home screen for Facebook Home, iOS users Tuesday will get access to Chat Heads capability. Facebook announced that iPhone and iPad users will have this update sometime Tuesday and be able to use the company’s newest messaging feature. Additionally, iPad owners will be switched over to the redesigned News Feed with this update.
Facebook Thursday unveiled the closest thing to a Facebook phone, with Home. Select Android devices will have access to Home starting April 12, and it will later become available to more users. This news was met with curiosity, excitement, and a little bit of fear, knowing that Facebook would go from being a part of the phone to being a part of the entire mobile experience.
Facebook recently redesigned its News Feed to show off more visual content, with photos and videos getting a makeover. It’s no surprise that this kind of content is most engaging, especially on mobile. As Viewbix CEO Jonathan Stefansky told AllFacebook, mobile engagement rates on videos are nearly double those of desktop.
As more users check their Facebook activity on their phones or tablets, the company’s design team has had to follow suit. When Facebook announced the redesigned News Feed, Co-Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the design was largely motivated by mobile. The Facebook Design team took users behind the curtain to share exactly what that means, and how the company is becoming more mobile-minded.
Facebook pushed its latest iOS native application update Monday, giving users the ability to change their cover photo from their phone or tablet. The latest version of the iOS app also improved group messaging features.
In an effort to clean up the clutter, Facebook introduced a redesigned News Feed Thursday. Co-Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, ironically enough, compared the company’s vision to that of a newspaper. If users just want to see stories about Wall Street, they can flip to the business section. On this new Facebook News Feed, if users just want to see posts from their friends, they can simply select that, and their news feeds will only be populated by their personal connections. Facebook feels that this redesign will make it easier for users to access and read what they want.
Facebook released an update to its iOS application, version 5.5, and the main addition is the ability to make free calls if both users are located in the U.S. or Canada, which the social network added to its Messenger app in January.
Even if you’re at a huge Super Bowl party this Sunday, you’ll probably be checking Facebook on your phone or tablet. Maybe you want to congratulate your friend in Baltimore or talk some trash to a buddy in San Francisco. There are several Facebook-integrated applications that look to enhance your Super Bowl XLVII experience, such as FanCake and SportStream.
