- Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) is testing the use of multiple, topic-based, news feeds in its core mobile app. The traditional news feed still exists within the test, but it's complemented by secondary feeds with titles such as Style, Travel, and Headlines.
- The secondary feeds make it easier for users whose standard feeds are swamped with content from hundreds of "friends" and Pages to follow specific types of material. A Facebook spokesperson: "People have told us they'd like new options to see and have conversations about more stories on Facebook around specific topics they're interested in. So we are testing feeds for people to view different stories from people and Pages based on topic areas."
- Separately, Facebook is testing a more ambitious deployment of its shopping marketplace, which provides a personalized list of products being sold on Facebook pages (possibly with the help of Buy buttons), along with a search option. Though in testing since October, the feature was until recently buried within Facebook's app. Now, users seeing the test have a Marketplace icon placed on the bottom menu bar, to go with News Feed, Requests, and Notifications icons.
- The topic-based news feeds could lend themselves well to ads fitting with specific content types (e.g. travel ads within the Travel feed). Meanwhile, e-commerce ads are a natural fit for the marketplace.