Over the years, Facebook has made a number of changes to its interface. The latest update was announced last Thursday, March 7 and pertains to the News Feed, a stream of information that acts as a personalized newspaper. The new version aims to minimize clutter and focus on presenting the most relevant content possible to each user.

The updated News Feed structure is broken into specific topics, making it easier to dig deeper into certain kinds of content. Types of streams include music, games and “following,” where users can find updates from celebrities and brands in addition to their friends. The News Feed update will also standardize content across mobile devices, tablets and desktop screens, allowing for easy browsing at any moment.

The syncing of layouts across devices means that imagery will be equally prominent on desktop screens as well as mobile. According to Facebook, 50% of updates shared on the site contain imagery, showing the importance of this move. Facebook has also admitted that teens are becoming less interested with the platform and are turning to more mobile and visual focused digital environments like Instagram. This update will help to address that trend and retain time spent on the site.

In terms of advertising, Facebook’s updated News Feeds will not affect paid placements, although the change does open opportunities for more dynamic, targeted and relevant units for the categorical feeds. Looking forward, Facebook’s “Paid Profile Personalization” patent shows that users may one day be able to pay a fee to remove promoted content, further proving that the quality of posts will always remain crucial for long-term success....

When it comes to posting content for brands, it can be exhilarating to find just the right image that you know will spark engagement with your fans.

Beyond timeliness of messaging and knowing your audience, though, it’s absolutely essential to give credit where due when content doesn’t belong to the brand. So Delicious, a dairy-free food brand, dodged a bullet yesterday after posting a photo without consent from, or attribution to, artist Theron Humphrey.

So here’s what went down:

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Is your brand on Pinterest? If so, what kind of metrics are you using and how are you tabulating them? (You are tracking against some sort of success metric, right?)

If these questions leave you with a look more awkward than Phil Mickelson's smile as he approaches the 18th green, then fear not; there is hope. Enter Curalate.

As stated in the video above,

Curalate uses some pretty cool technologies to automagically find, match, and remember images that are about your brand. We take the impossible and make it possible, discovering, tracking and measuring the sharing of your brand's content on visual platforms like Pinterest.

Curalate is packed full of stats and graphs, and appears to be thorough to say the least. My only caution on this one is to make sure you don't get lost in the data. As with most things online, it's possible to track a minutia of data points, but not all data points truly matter. Make sure you don't get lost tabulating results that aren't actionable or insightful.

Thanks, Ben!

BFG's Content Department is once again growing. We're on the search for an experienced Content Manager to join our Atlanta office. 

Those of you with social media know-how, great writing skills and experience in community management, take note. The Content Manager will develop a unique voice on behalf of a BFG client and bring it to life through digital channels. In addition to content creation, the CM will also do social listening, reporting and contribute to this very blog. 

The complete job description is available here. Pay close attention to the application instructions. As we've done in the past, the process is happening on Twitter. No emails. No resumes and cover letters. You've got 140 characters to catch our attention and show your stuff. Be creative. Have fun and happy Tweeting.

Coca-Cola recently unveiled Content 2020, their plan for "how the Coca-Cola Company will evolve its approach to the creative agenda on its key brands." There's a lot to digest in these two videos, but they're certain to make you think. Plus, the live sketch presentation approach is both well done and fun to watch.

[Disclosure: The Coca-Cola Company is a BFG client.]