Facebook has pushed out a number of new designs and layouts over the years in an effort to evolve with its growing user base. I was never one to complain about the changes or join some “Go Back to the Old Facebook!” petition. However, there are a few things about Facebook that annoy me, including:
- The Connect with Friends section – Seriously, it’s now my responsibility to help my friends connect with people? And why would I randomly write on someone’s wall just because Facebook told me to?
- Suggestions section – I’m fine with the concept of suggestions. I just rarely see relevant people or pages to add. Also, if I click to ignore the suggestion once, I should have the option to never see it again.
- Publishing friend and fan stories – Isn’t this why the Suggestions section even exists? So I can see who to become a friend or fan of? Displaying them in the feed is pointless.
Luckily, there’s a way to clean up these irritations and make some other cool Facebook customizations that result in a much better user experience. Here’s a quick tutorial on my favorite, Facebook Fixer:
1. Download Firefox if you don’t have it already.
2. Download the Greasemonkey add-on for Firefox. Restart the browser when prompted.
3. Install the Facebook Fixer user script.
4. Go to Facebook or refresh the page if it’s open already. Under the Account menu, go to Configure Facebook Fixer.
5. Navigate through the options and choose your favorite customizations. You can always refresh the page, see what the option does and then switch it back if you don’t like it. I have it set up this way:
- Check - Keep the left column visible, even after scrolling down (Home Page tab)
- Uncheck - Show the Pokes, Suggestions and Connect with Friends sections (Home Page)
- Check - Hide fan/friend/group stories (Feeds)
- Check - Popup bigger versions of photos and profile pictures on mouse over (Pictures)
- Check - Add links to add birthdays and events to Google Calendar (Birthdays/Events)
- Check - Keep the top menu bar on the screen, even after scrolling down (Menus/Chat)
Play around with the options on your own and you’ll eventually develop your own preferences. Keep in mind that Facebook Fixer must be separately installed on every computer you want to use it on. Give it a test drive and let me know what you think!
Image credit: flavor32
