11 September 2009 | Author: D. Warburton Search Copywriter
Social networking giant Facebook has launched Facebook Lite, a simplified version of the site with limited features that brings Facebook ever closer to competitor Twitter.
The BBC reports that Facebook Lite is intended to benefit users with slow or limited internet connections, offering a faster and simpler alternative to the main site. It is being specifically targeted at developing countries with bandwidth constraints, and has currently only been launched in the United States and India.
According to the company, 70 per cent of its 250 million users are located outside the United States, with growing numbers in Europe and South East Asia. By stripping down some of the site's excess features, Facebook Lite will allow more users to connect with friends and associates online. But industry experts have observed that the Lite site seems to be taking its cues from microblogging site Twitter, which the company once had its sights set on.
Terence O'Brien of Switched.com has given a thumbs-up to the slimmed down site which, he observes, "strips away distractions."
He explains: "The simple site loads noticeably faster, is easier to navigate, and is much easier on the eyes thanks to the lack of people sending you 'virtual booze' or asking you to join their 'vampire fraternity.'
"The new layout seems like a direct challenge to Twitter, which can attribute much of its success to is simplicity and portability."
Third party applications and quizzes that have turned many users away from Facebook are not expected to be permitted on the condensed version. This streamlined design is attracting many users who are capable of accessing the regular Facebook site, and this has led to the decision to release it for the US market, where students in colleges with limited bandwidth can also benefit.
Users can switch back and forth between Facebook Lite and the full site according to their needs.
Facebook Lite offers streamlined social networking
Social networking giant Facebook has launched Facebook Lite, a simplified version of the site with limited features that brings Facebook ever closer to competitor Twitter.The BBC reports that Facebook Lite is intended to benefit users with slow or limited internet connections, offering a faster and simpler alternative to the main site. It is being specifically targeted at developing countries with bandwidth constraints, and has currently only been launched in the United States and India.
According to the company, 70 per cent of its 250 million users are located outside the United States, with growing numbers in Europe and South East Asia. By stripping down some of the site's excess features, Facebook Lite will allow more users to connect with friends and associates online. But industry experts have observed that the Lite site seems to be taking its cues from microblogging site Twitter, which the company once had its sights set on.
Terence O'Brien of Switched.com has given a thumbs-up to the slimmed down site which, he observes, "strips away distractions."
He explains: "The simple site loads noticeably faster, is easier to navigate, and is much easier on the eyes thanks to the lack of people sending you 'virtual booze' or asking you to join their 'vampire fraternity.'
"The new layout seems like a direct challenge to Twitter, which can attribute much of its success to is simplicity and portability."
Third party applications and quizzes that have turned many users away from Facebook are not expected to be permitted on the condensed version. This streamlined design is attracting many users who are capable of accessing the regular Facebook site, and this has led to the decision to release it for the US market, where students in colleges with limited bandwidth can also benefit.
Users can switch back and forth between Facebook Lite and the full site according to their needs.
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