Facebook to make the News Feed less 'spammy,' punish pages that ask for 'Likes'

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 11 (UPI) -- Facebook will target Pages that coerce users for Shares or Likes, which users have complained are 'spammy' posts they don't want to see.

The company said it was coming down on Pages that share the same link or photo over and over again, links that are click-bait and posts that use deceptive language to to trick people into clicking on "spammy links." Facebook hopes to give the right content to the right users, so that these "spammy" posts do not distract them from the "stories that are important and relevant to them."

"These stories lead to a less enjoyable experience of Facebook since they drown out content from friends and Pages that people really care about," the company said.

Facebook said that many publishers aren't trying to game the system and will in fact see an uptick in News Feed distribution, as there will be more space for quality content. But publishers who relied in underhanded tactics to speed their posts will see their distribution fall.

Facebook will have to be careful abut implementing these plans, as marketers haven't been too happy with the regular changes Facebook has been making to their system. Facebook will have to ensure its algorithm doesn't inadvertently start blocking content from legitimate publishers.

Facebook has been grappling with slow user growth and while Pages and businesses are important to them financially, it appears they will want to ensure a cleaner and better user experience.

[Computer World] [Facebook]