Unit Structures Fred Stutzman’s thoughts about information, social networks and technology.

Facebook’s next big change?

Via Alla, I’ve come across some posts discussing the introduction of “social zones” into Facebook. Justin Smith of InsideFacebook (an invaluable resource for following FB, if you ask me) covers it as such:

I just received a tip from top application developer Trey Philips that Facebook has added two new undocumented functions to its API Test Console this evening that appear to reference an as-yet-unreleased feature called “Friend Lists.”

The two new API methods are:

• friends.getLists
• friends.getListsMembers

Based on these method names, “Friend Lists” could be buddy lists that you might use to organize your friends. For example, “Work Friends” or, say… “Top Friends”.

Justin reads the tea leaves and decides that FB is going to compete into Myspace and Slide’s territory by adding “top eight” type applications. Well, I like to read into the tea leaves too, so here’s my completely un-informed, un-leaked and speculative guess: I think Facebook is going to allow us to roll our own networks.

By allowing users to create their own networks (say a network for your church, or family, or non-FB-approved place of work), FB would introduce an important, situationally relevant social vector that they’ve long underserved. Let’s face it - we don’t really organize purely at the regional, school or employer level; there’s a great bit more nuance in the way we come together. By allowing us to create our own networks, we develop a way to cut across Facebook without substantially disturbing the ecosystem.

Of course, FB would have to institute some controls to prevent negative outcomes. They’d probably limit how many networks you can join, how many people can join a roll-your-own network, and introduce some new privacy controls. In doing this, FB would compete directly into Ning’s territory, as well as giving tens of millions of other people a new reason to join. Seeing as FB is so devoted to the 35+ demographic, you can just imagine parents saying “I can join Facebook but only be part of my Family’s network? Sounds great!” And to this extent, as FB’s mission is to connect people to other people they know, this would clearly be within scope.

Of course, it’s all speculation….

Just to let you know I chose your blog for Blog Day 2007. Best, and keep on blogging.

Thank you! I didn’t even know it is blog day. I will have to post some recommendations on my blog.

Speculation, but such a feature is greatly needed: I have no problem having a photo of my girlfriend visible to my colleagues on Facebook, but some of my them, and influencial people like danah boyd are demanding it. More important then whether they will set it on, it’s how: what are the different possible models to manage your relatives/neighbours/friends, and how Facebook is going to choose? That sounds like the question to me—and you don’t answer that. . .