Facebook has some good news. It’s not about changes in the timeline feature or bringing down annoying game requests but a more pressing issue.
If there’s one thing that annoys users and readers on any website, especially Facebook, it’s the alluring gaze of a meaningless link. Usually a flashy article link with incomplete and half-baked information. But not to worry. The community expressed their discomfort with the horrendous and misleading links that plague the website and Facebook has responded.
The web experts behind the site are using two major new algorithms that filter content and flag them if:-
1.The headline withholds information required to understand what the content of the article is.
2.The headline exaggerates the article to create misleading expectations for the reader.
Facebook has stated that-“Links from pages that routinely post these types of headlines will be demoted in users’ News Feeds.If a page stops posting click-bait headlines, their posts will stop being impacted by this change.”
A new scoring system will now keep track of every article posted on the website. The possibility of it being demoted increases as the score increases. The system has been designed by a team of Facebook user experience developers. They intend to fight back spammers and websites that post hollow content with flagrant details.
“If you’re a publisher, or you’re a content farm, and you post 50 things a day and 48 of them are click-bait, you’ll see a significant drop in referral traffic and reach,” said Adam Mosseri.
The system identifies posts that are click-bait and which web domains and Pages such posts come from. Links posted from or shared from Pages or domains that consistently post clickbait headlines will appear lower in News Feed.
What Will This Change
Facebook has assured the NewsFeed changes will only affect users if they post considerable spammy content on a regular basis. Pages won’t face any major changes. But websites and pages who depend on clickbait-style headlines should expect their outreach to plummet. As such, Facebook has advised to avoid headlines that withhold information, use over-the-top words and dissuade readers.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has applauded the decision. It previously claimed that the culture of click-bait and setting traffic targets results in reporters sensationalizing stories, trivializing news. Journalism that interests the public is rejected. Why? Because it takes time to research and deliver.
“With this update, people will see fewer click-bait stories and more of the stories they want to see higher up in their feeds.”
Steps To Curb Click-Baits
1. Share headlines that inform and raise awareness. People expect the stories in their feed to be meaningful. When the story’s headline is missing information, people shun it as misleading, sensational and spammy.
2. Focus on headlines that create appropriate expectations. Relying on misleading headlines to appall readers is not a good strategy. Share articles with accurate headlines that don’t exaggerate the topic. Personalize to the topic with genuine conversation around the content.
3. For public figures and personalities, Facebook has issued much more concern. Sharing links is a great way to engage audiences. But click-baits only jeopardize the famous and well known. People have voiced their anger over such content. This behavior will also result in decreased post distribution from such pages.
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