5 Things We'd Change About Facebook Mobile

At the beginning of this year, Facebook overtook Google Maps as the most-used mobile app in the U.S. The social network giant also recently introduced a controversial new mobile interface, Facebook Home. Earlier this week, Home hit 1 million downloads. Love it or hate it (or both), Facebook is a cornerstone of the mobile experience.

But being in the spotlight means taking your share of criticism. And if the Facebook app represents our smartphone-centric lives ... well, it has a few issues. None of them are deal breakers, but Mashable loves to tinker. Read on to see our list of things we would change about the Facebook app.

1. Embrace Line Wrap

 

Facebook frequently truncates the longer titles of shared content in its mobile News Feed. Instead of making reasonable space for posts that need a little more explanation, Facebook disregards the practically ancient technology of line wrapping in favor of this lazy shortcut. Abbreviating your friends' posts not only makes them instantly less appealing — it makes Facebook's mobile experience noticeably inferior to Facebook on the desktop.

2. Chat Head Support Outside the iOS App

 

When Mark Zuckerberg revealed Facebook Home for Android, he also showed how chat heads would work — namely, across all apps. Playing a game or scrolling through Instagram? Chat heads can pop in and make communication more fluid.




On iOS, however, the little chat bubbles are strictly confined to the Facebook app, and mostly serve to crowd the screen and obscure posts. Alleviating this problem and mimicking Android seems against Apple's modus operandi, but it's something we'd like to see.

3. Load Links Faster in Safari

 

If you're running the Facebook app on iOS, you're used to staring at a blank white screen bordered by indifferent blue as Facebook struggles to connect with Safari. It is a cruel screen, and we'd prefer never to see it again.

4. Smoother Gestures on Pictures

 

Facebook's photo viewing has grown more beautiful and intuitive over time. But we still accidentally close photos on a regular basis, and the "double-tap to like" feature from Instagram would be a welcome addition now that the two networks are so intertwined.

5. Faster, Faster, Faster

 

The perennial truth of the Facebook app: it could stand to be faster. We want to see what friends are up to, but we get tired of sitting at the top the news feed watching a wheel spin. Don't tempt us with the promise of new posts if you can't deliver, Facebook. Increased speed across the entire app would be appreciated.


source: mashable.com

Want financial advice? Let these ‘Facebook bankers’ help you

MANILA, Philippines — If you want help managing your personal finances but are intimidated by the stone-cold treatment of employees in banks, this Facebook app launched by a local bank may be able to help you.

Called the Bankers Online App, the Facebook-based application developed by the digital marketing unit of Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) aims to bridge the gap between bankers and the bank’s customers.

Executives of the bank said they noticed how account holders and would-be customers are often intimidated to ask their bankers about the most basic finance questions for fear of being perceived as unknowledgeable about the matter.

“[This app] will transcend the very deep ravine between the stiff banker persona and anyone on Facebook because it’s very personalized,” claimed Virginia Brocka, digital marketing head at BPI.

Anyone with a Facebook account, even those without an account with BPI, can post questions for the bankers and receive a response for their queries by simply liking the BPI page on Facebook and accessing the Bankers Online app.

Brocka said they took pains to ensure that the profiles of the bankers — which came from various BPI units and departments and are mostly young — are available for users to see, in order to create some sort of “emotional connection” with the bankers.

“That way, people can relate to somebody who is their age, or to a woman who is also a mother. Users can see the bankers as a person they can relate to,” Brocka explained.

Users can ask questions from a range of topics such as financial wellness, responsible borrowing, and money management among others. Should the banker be unable to answer the query, Brocka said the “full force of BPI” will be behind the banker to help the customer in resolving the question.

Executives said bankers would answer questions after about 24 hours, and the service will only be available on the banks usual banking days, from Monday to Friday.

Aside from being a hub for financing advice, the app also serves other useful functions such as the ability to schedule an offline appointment with a bank employee; and a helpdesk facility that will aid users in resolving account-related questions.

Brocka said bringing such kind of service directly for Facebook is essential especially in a nation where 27 million Internet users are on Facebook, or more than 90 percent of its total Internet penetration.

“We have seen that the use of social media has become an integral part of Filipinos’ lives,” added Carmencita Gozar, vice president and Brand BPI Division Head.

Gozar said they envision the app to “democratize expert financial advice” and lead Filipinos to better financial wellness overall.

“This is the Internet age, and we (banks) should embrace it. It’s an opportunity for us to keep on learning what our customers really need,” Gozar stressed.

source: interaksyon.com