Facebook is undoubtedly the largest and most loved social media platform currently. It attracts billions of users for a variety of purposes. One of the techniques the social networking site uses to get such a large following is by constantly enhancing the website with new stuff to improve user-experience and retain loyalty.

During the 2018 Facebook F8 developers’ conference, Mark Zuckerberg and his team proudly announced plenty of innovative and fresh features that the platform would be introducing before the year ends. These are bound to make the website more valuable and enjoyable to users in spite of the data scandal. Some valuable “upgrades” you should be on the lookout for in Facebook in 2018 are outlined below.

News Feeds That Focus More On Meaningful Interactions

Many are the times you end up viewing loads of updates from different avenues on your News Feed, but end up missing essential posts from individuals you really care about. To avoid this, Facebook rolled out the News Feed Preference. The feature allows you to prioritize what you want to appear on your feed.

It may be a game changer for Marketers and publishers, especially for firms that give results of URL shares like url Facebook. They may get fewer shares at first since the move is bound to diminish posts from news stories, brands, publishers and marketers.

There is, however, no need to panic because all the professionals have to do is to change their posting strategy. It is recommended that they create more posts that will spark back and forth conversations among users on Facebook as a means of boosting significant social interactions.

Better Visuals

Facebook users now have the freedom to upload Portrait or vertical images from their mobile phones. In the past, it was not possible as you could only upload landscape photos since vertical pictures needed to be cropped.

Facebook algorithm seems to have adapted to the fact that the networking site receives a huge percentage of traffic from mobile devices. This is great news since the portrait images may attract more views and engagements, since they occupy more space on the screen. Offering content that is easy to consume and clearly visible may keep viewers glued to a page for longer periods.

Additionally, you can also expect to start seeing 3D photos on the News Feed. This update should hopefully generate a better immersive experience for users as well as the content they decide to share on the platform.

News to Come From Trusted Sources Only

While seeking to make more meaningful experiences on user’s News Feeds, Facebook has an update that will only let you receive news from trusted sources. This is bound to reduce fake news on your timeline significantly.

To get the best results Facebook conducted a survey among users to identify the news outlets that people respect and trust the most. Tests we already out by January 2018 and are said to go on all year.

The pages that appear to be more trustworthy from the survey results may benefit from an increase in distribution. The opposite will happen for the pages that do not get votes for trustworthiness. They will most likely experience a drop in audience reach and distribution.

All Users Can Make a Contribution to Facebook’s AR (Augmented Reality)

The popularity of Augmented Reality is increasing at a fast rate. It is taking over fast, and can be used in filters that overlay faces in multiple social media apps and games like Pokemon Go. Big companies like Facebook, Apple, and Google also want in on the piece of the pie. They have gone ahead to create their AR platforms.

AR Studio, Facebook’s dedicated platform, was first introduced for a few developers and brands. Now in 2018, all developers have the freedom to take advantage of it. Obviously, this is more exciting for developers and 3D artists. Do not be left out as you will fall in love with the effects and filters that will come with Facebook in-built camera in the near future.

It’s quite exciting knowing that since inception, your favourite networking site has been improving to enhance your experience over the years. This means you should anticipate bigger and better things on Facebook.