As part of a continued effort to avoid the same fate as MySpace, Facebook on Wednesday announced a handful of major changes that add a bit of spice to users’ profiles.
The first change you may notice is the ability to replace your static profile photo with a looping video, an obvious next step as we continue to shift towards a video-centric web.
Facebook is also adding temporary profile pictures that allow users to display them for a set amount of time before reverting back to their original one. Facebook product managers Aigerim Shorman and Tony Hsieh suggested using the feature to support your favorite sports team leading up to the big game, to celebrate a special milestone like a birthday or vacation or to show off a throwback Thursday photo.
And speaking of, profile pictures are now larger and centered.
As it has done multiple times before, Facebook is making changes to its profile controls. Specifically, they’re adding a new customizable space at the top of your profile and adding a new one-line “bio” field. You’ll also be able to add up to five feature photos to showcase at the top of your profile. The space is visible to anyone that visits your profile although you’ll have full control over what information is shown, we’re told.
Facebook said it has already started to roll the changes out to a small number of iPhone users in California and the UK. Assuming all goes well, the rollout will continue to expand in the near future.
