- "The gap between ... two Facebooks (NASDAQ:FB) — the one its managers want to see, and the one its users like using today — is starting to become visible," writes AllThingsD's Mike Isaac in a report examining the social networking giant's efforts to evolve into a news/information hub.
- But while Mark Zuckerberg wants his company to be "the best personalized newspaper in the world," its users still largely see it as a place to keep in touch with friends/family and "share a funny, viral story or LOLcat picture." Viral, "low-quality" content often receives far more clicks than "high-quality" news pieces.
- This disconnect has reportedly led Facebook to hold off on rolling out its media-heavy news feed overhaul (announced in March) to most users, and for engagement to stall among those users who have received the update.
- An update amounting to "a less drastic change" is now reportedly being prepped. Ahead of that move, and in spite of the click rate data, Facebook has updated its news feed algorithm to show more "high-quality" stories.
- Meanwhile, Twitter (NYSE:TWTR), while still having a far smaller active user base, has evolved into a news hub for many of its users, and is trying to make the most of this status.
- Isaac's report arguably drives home the challenges Facebook contends with as it tries to keep users (inc. younger ones) tiring of its traditional fare engaged, and without alienating the hundreds of millions of users content with the status quo.