Facebook experimenting with contextual cards, highlighting related content

May 15, 2014

Facebook, the world's most popular social network, is once again trying to increase traction to tried, true, and in many cases tired Newsfeed, this time by experimenting with contextual cards. It's a way to call attention to related content, which will either be an amazing way to surface previously hidden gems, or a maddening way to flood you with yet more stuff you don't care about. Or both. According to TechCrunch:

The cards test is rolling out to a small subset of iOS users How will thecards look? If you posted a status message or photo and tagged your friend Julia at Yosemite National Park, you might see the card on the left above. The card on the right could appear if you posted a status with the "watching Grand Budapest Hotel" action, and tagged your friends Jon, Jingbo, Greg, and Matt. Along with music, and videos, the cards can respond to books you're reading too.

To make the experience deeper, Facebook is also using the cards to suggest even more related content. It's not Google Now by any stretch, but it also doesn't look like it's meant to be. The real question is — will Facebook users find it compelling enough to keep them glued to the network, which is the real purpose of any new feature Facebook rolls out.

So let me know — have you content Facebook's new cards yet, do you want them, and what do you think of them?