We apparently can’t get our social information fast enough. In fact, it almost seems like a race for who can get information out the fastest. Twitter (
) updates are lightning fast, even occasionally breaking the news before the major outlets, and FriendFeed (
)’s interface now updates in real-time. And today, Facebook has jumped back into the real-time race by implementing live updates within the Facebook home page.
As you might recall, one of the things that Facebook () removed during its home page redesign was the live stream, which displayed your friends’ Facebook activity as it occurred. Users were not happy that it disappeared - in fact, real-time updates became one of the top requests from Facebook users. And so it is back, but with a different implementation.
Facebook’s live stream isn’t a new tab or section of the homepage, like it once was. Instead, when friends post new content or update their status, a section right under the update bar appears that asks whether you want to show new posts. As more updates occur, the number of new posts increases until you click on it. Once clicked, these new posts will appear.
The live stream is not yet available to all users - Facebook rolls out updates in several cycles, meaning that it could be a few days until live streaming is available in your Facebook.
In any event, Facebook’s approach to real-time makes access to live streaming information easily available, while not overwhelming the user with automatic live updates. Yet it’s clear that the social network, and perhaps the rest of the Web, is slowly nudging its way towards a real-time ecosystem. Are you ready for your Facebook friends in real-time?
