The like button is one of Facebook’s most prominent design signals, but the company will soon cancel it for Facebook pages. Starting today with an unlimited number of pages, there will be a new layout, custom news feed, Q&A format, and more that page managers will be able to use.
The most important change with this update is the removal of the like button and the number of likes, which is pretty shocking given that the Like button has been a hallmark of Facebook for over a decade. Facebook says this will help page managers get a better idea of their actual fanbase, which makes sense; There are so many pages that I “liked” many years ago that have been unfollowed since then. Instead, only Facebook users will be able to follow Pages soon, and Pages will be able to follow accounts as well. Visually, the pages are refreshed, which Facebook says will make it easier for followers to see the bots and posts.
Facebook pages will also get their news feed, where they will see posts and updates from the accounts they follow. Comments from the pages will appear at the top of the comments sections, and there will be a follow button next to those comments. There will also be a Question and answer function Page managers will be able to use it to better answer fan questions.
Finally, page management will gain a few functionality; Managers will be able to carefully choose which sections (insights, announcements, content, community activity, and messages) each person will have control over. Additionally, Facebook says it is also working to improve the detection of hate speech and impersonation, as well as violent, sexual and spam content. It also continues to give verified checkmarks to aid in impersonation.
It appears that all of these changes are rolling out today, with a broader roll out to come in the coming months.
