The third in a series of Facebook updates will see local news gaining visibility.
Facebook representatives have announced a new change to the social platform’s network algorithms, which will now show more local news and posts from local publisher, according to a new blog post. It is the third change in a series of Facebook updates released since the start of the year.
From now on, the Facebook newsfeed should show more local news, which might have a direct impact on users and/or their communities. This update will also include local events.
The new algorithm will identify local publishers by correlating them with readers from a specific area. It will then make them more visible both to users that already liked the page as well as to their friends.
This new algorithm is first being tested in the US and will likely be utilized in other countries later on.
Also, users can choose the sources of their news with the See First feature. Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, posted that this new update comes as a response to the users’ feedback.
“Many people told me they thought that if we could turn down the temperature on the more divisive issues and instead focus on concrete local issues, then we’d all make more progress together”, he explained.
A new dedicated section is also being tested as it was introduced through this latest update. Today In, as it is called, will show more news and information from the users’ communities. It is currently available in only six US cities.
Also recently, Zuckerberg announced that the Facebook newsfeed would show fewer posts from pages, in benefit of meaningful interactions with friends. This came as the first major update in the current series. The second targeted the fact that news must be trustworthy and informative to be visible.
There are More Facebook Updates on the Way
Experts from the digital industry consider that at least one new announcement from Facebook should be released sometime soon. They consider that future Facebook updates need to further explain how informative content actually works and will be selected.
Other specialists state that Facebook representatives need to explain the trustworthiness aspect, to make these changes perfectly clear.
The Facebook algorithm will have to come with a method of avoiding fake news, even if they’re local ones.
Some also believe that it is hard to point out if this latest change will significantly help local publishers. As it is, these should gain exposure, which could well be a win-win for both parties involved.
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