Facebook makes layout changes

Facebook is rolling out a new homepage design, in the same week it celebrates it sixth birthday, The Telegraph reported.

The changes are being rolled out to a small number of users initially, before being deployed more widely in the coming months. The changes mean that users will be able to send messages to friends in their social network directly from the Facebook homepage, rather than having to open a separate window, and there is more emphasis on search, with a larger search box appearing on the page.

Facebook has also streamlined the Live Feed and News Feed sections, which enabled users to see what their friends were doing at the moment. Both have been integrated into a single News Feed, with a "Most Recent" tab for live updates, and other highlights filed under the "Top News" tab. Some navigation buttons have also moved from the top and bottom of the homepage to a pallette on the left-hand side of the screen, and videos uploaded to the social-networking site now appear under the Photos section.

"We're releasing a set of products designed to improve your everyday experience," said Facebook engineer Jing Chen in a blog post. "In keeping with our commitment to innovation, these product releases are part of Facebook's ongoing efforts to streamline the site and make it easier to use.