We tend to think of websites as static creations: things that remain unchanging while other products are developed further and go through multiple iterations. But the opposite is true: websites can change their appearance all the time – sometimes in a major revamp, other times in ways too subtle and delicate to even notice at a glance.
That’s what Facebook looked like when it was first launched on Harvard University’s intranet way back in 2004. Even the name has changed since those humble days. Sites like Facebook go through innumerable changes, but the site is so ubiquitous that we quickly forget its old appearance and accept the new one without question.So with that in mind, you might want to pay extra-close attention to your Facebook account in the next few days, because it appears that Zuckerberg is making some changes.
Earlier in the week, a number of Facebook users noticed an inexplicable change to their font while typing status updates and comments. Look a little closer at your own account, and you might notice a few differences in the shape of your letters. The social media giant appears to be testing out new fonts across the platform: fonts not of its own creation.What does this mean? Well the broader implications are that the company is now playing with the idea of having fonts default to users’ system fonts. If you’re on a Mac, your status updates are now being brought to you in “San Francisco” font, and PC users might now see those same messages in “Segoe UI”. These are all variations on Sans-Serif font, but the differences mean that browsers on the site feel more native to the font used as their own computer’s default.
Facebook has also made a number of recent changes to their user privacy policies, which will bar developers from using its data for surveillance purposes. “We are committed to building a community where people can feel safe making their voices heard,” stated Rob Sherman, Facebook’s Deputy Chief Privacy officer.“Over the past several months we have taken enforcement action against developers who created and marketed tools meant for surveillance, in violation of our existing policies; we want to be sure everyone understands the underlying policy and how to comply.”
Source: Viral Thread